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Thread: car insurance Q

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    Default car insurance Q

    Heres the deal:
    I have gotten a few tickets in the last 5 years.
    A speeding ticket, a roll through a stop sign ticket, ran a red light by accident no one was hurt thank god I was in traffic!, a few parking tickets (including parking 6in into a handicap section and parking in a fire lane for 15 min got towed), 2 street parking fines ($40) each, and thats it.
    I know what your all thinking "damn this girl shouldnt be driving".

    But, Im going to be taking over my car insurance this year and I will be paying it on my own. Right now Im on a policy w/ my mom.
    Question is w/ my history will my tickets stay on my record forever or will it go away after a few years? I might change insurance for it to be cheaper (I have AAA now) but Ive heard its not a good idea.
    If you can offer any help that would be appreciated *Thanks*
    you live like an ivy vine
    you can only survive by clinging onto trees
    that's your flaw
    put down some roots so you can stand on your own
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    Banned Melonie's Avatar
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    Default Re: car insurance Q

    Depending on your particular state, non-moving violations like parking tickets usually don't affect insurance premiums at all. But moving violations are factored into auto insurance rates. Usually moving violations are assigned a certain number of 'points' depending on the severity of the violation, and the insurance companies have a sliding scale of insurance rates which rise with the points total. My strictly layman's opinion is that your three moving violations take you about halfway up the scale towards having your driver's license suspended, and will also take you halfway up the scale between 'safe driver' insurance rates and 'assigned risk' insurance rates. Thank your lucky stars that you're female not male, because if you were your insurance premiums would probably approach $2,500-$3,000 per year (yes insurance companies discriminate in favor of young female drivers vs young male drivers).

    Also, moving violations are not held against you forever. In my home state of NY, they are dropped from your driving record after 39 months for purposes of insurance calculation and license suspension. However, they never truly disappear altogether, such that if you are busted in the future for the same sort of offense you can potentially be charged as a repeat offender which carries higher fines and more 'points'. This varies from state to state, however.

    As to changing insurance companies, I would shop around first before cancelling with the insurance carrier you currently have. You may have enough 'points' accumulated that some insurance companies may not want to write a policy for you at a lower price than your current insurance company is charging.

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    God/dess Bunny's Avatar
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    Default Re: car insurance Q

    The longer you stay with an insurance company the better. I have been with State Farm since I was 15 and I've called all kinds of other ones checking rates and none are cheaper. When you turn 21 call them and tell them and your rates should go down. Same thing for 25 and I think 30 or maybe 25 is the last drop. Unless they changed it I had to TELL them I turned 21 and my rates did drop. I don't know about different states, but the only tickets I've had were in Louisiana. An attorney who was quite good at getting tickets himself (used to drive a Ferarri) told me to ALWAYS fight your tickets. But like I said, dunno how CA works. There is an article you can plead in LA that keeps it off your record. Also, they may just throw it out. Since you've already gotten the ones you have you can't do much about it but if you get any in the future keep that in mind. Another thing you might want to consider is staying on your mom's policy but paying yours separately. I think that is how mine was for years. I had insurance in my name but it was under my policy with my parents at their address so I could get the multi car discount. I just had it drafted out of my account and my name was on it as the primary driver.

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    Default Re: car insurance Q

    Not sure how AAA works, however, a lot of companies give "loyal customer" discounts. The longer you stay with them, the more willing they are to give you a few dollars off here and there. If you are a good student, you can get the "good student" discount at just about any insurance company.

    In the state of Illinois, ALL moving violations show on your Driving record for up to 36 months. If you have those moving violations, I would strongly suggest that you stick with your current company. You have history with them (and a parent with them)...so they are more likely to be a little more inexpensive. Going to another company would probably cost more...

    I have State Farm...have had them since I was 16...for full coverage on my car (mind you, I'm 30)...I pay $400 every 6 months. I have home owners insurance with them and a multi car discount, as well. However, to get the exact same coverage at Allstate (with no tickets, violations, or accidents on my record...clean) Allstate was going to charge me over $1200.

    Screw that. Stay with AAA. Use your mom's address so that you can qualify for the multi-car discount...clean up your driving (pay attention!!)...if you are getting good grades in school, report that...you'll see that your rate will start going down.

    HOWEVER, if you are constantly getting tickets, etc (not parking tickets)...then the company can report you as high risk. Which means that they can choose not to drop your rate. So, even if you get one ticket per year...you could still qualify for "high risk". I strongly suggest you really concentrate on your paying attention while in the car...not just for cheaper insurance...but so that you don't injure someone else in the process (or yourself).

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    Default Re: car insurance Q

    Yes, I also am insured by State Farm for auto, homeowners' insurance etc. They may not be the absolute cheapest insurance available, but they ARE the cheapest of the 'storefront' insurance companies. Also, I do like the service and convenience of being able to call a local rep and have them take care of any problems, rather than fighting on the phone for hours with someone with a Hindu accent.

    Under your circumstances, it sounds like the most important thing that you need to concentrate on in regard to lowering your insurance costs is to be a more careful driver (or at least look more carefully for 'bubblegum machines'). Venus is correct that ALL of the insurance companies keep track of the 'trends' of drivers they insure. If a clear pattern emerges that a driver keeps getting charged with moving violations, the insurance companies are under pressure to classify that driver as an "assigned risk". Doing so allows them to either drop coverage on that driver, or transfer that driver to an insurance company that specializes in insuring people with bad driving records, or place that driver in their own 'assigned risk' insurance pool - at MUCH higher insurance rates. Once a driver is transferred to the 'assigned risk' pool, it can take many years with no tickets to get back out.

    If you have been with the same 'storefront' insurance company for a long time, and if you have other insurance coverage with them besides just auto insurance, the local rep can go to bat to keep you in the 'normal risk' group despite having picked up a few new 'points'. However, if you go for the cheapest internet/telephone based insurance out there, you can pretty well count on the fact that they count customer loyalty for nothing and will take advantage of any opportunity to raise your rates once you have signed on with them and picked up some new 'points' (because they know that you'll have trouble going back to a 'storefront' insurance company having a bad driving record and/or an 'assigned risk' classification).

    One other thing about 'storefront' insurance companies versus so-called discount telephone/internet based insurance companies. Lots of states have 'no fault' laws i.e. if you are involved in an accident the law does not require that either driver be legally determined to be the one at fault for causing the accident. Thus even if the 'other driver' caused the accident and you are an 'innocent victim', each driver's insurance company must pick up the cost of the damage and each driver's future insurance rates will increase due to the claim. If, however, you were the 'innocent victim' in the accident, and if your local insurance rep is willing to go to the trouble on your behalf, it IS possible to file the necessary documents so that the other 'at fault' driver's insurance company can be forced to pick up all of the costs resulting from the accident. This can avoid the 'innocent victim' from being saddled with increased insurance premiums in the future, because the 'innocent victim's' insurance company doesn't actually have to pay anything out on the claim. If this ever happens (it's happened to me twice over the years), it can wind up actually saving you more money in total insurance premiums than you would have ever saved on discount internet/telephone based insurance who wouldn't bother to do the necessary paperwork filings to avoid a 'no fault' payout and subsequent increase in future insurance premiums.

    ~
    Last edited by Melonie; 04-09-2005 at 06:30 AM.

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    Default Re: car insurance Q

    I had no idea that parking tickets really didnt effect your rates.

    You guys are right I think I should stick with AAA....at least for the discount. They will have a tow truck driver come out to my car in case I lock my keys in the car or need it to be towed to a garage. Which is something I need. I already had my car broken into last March 04 a week before I moved here as well and they were really nice about it...I onyl had to pay a $100 deductible. With all that has happened the rate is $180/month for my car.

    I had a friend that was looking for insurance just for herself eventhough she had no tickets her insurance was more than mine..and we are the same age.

    And trust me Im stopping at every yellow light from then on.....I really dont need another $363 ticket and another point on my record. I dont want to hurt anyone either. Im not really a bad driver Im just unfortunate.

    I will be calling when I turn 21 to see if I can recieve a bit more discount.
    you live like an ivy vine
    you can only survive by clinging onto trees
    that's your flaw
    put down some roots so you can stand on your own
    -Kenpachi



  7. #7
    God/dess Bunny's Avatar
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    Default Re: car insurance Q

    I also had a good grade discount. I forgot about that. Plus I had a driver's ed discount for a long while after I took driver's ed. I used to pay like $150/month when I was younger and I had maybe one ticket and no claims and now my insurance is $200/month but I have two cars so it would only be half for one. and yeah, I understand about unfortunate. The last two tickets I got were both in school zones. I NEVER speed in school zones UNLESS I don't see them! That was the case both times, both same cop, hiding with his radar gun in a spot where it wasn't obvious it was a school zone. The first one I pled the article and paid the fine and kept it off my record and the second got thrown out because my attorney got it set with the right state attorney. I haven't gotten any tickets since and it's been about two years. Hopefully I won't jinx myself by saying that!

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    Default Re: car insurance Q

    Quote Originally Posted by Bunny
    I used to pay like $150/month when I was younger and I had maybe one ticket and no claims and now my insurance is $200/month but I have two cars so it would only be half for one.
    Don't forget the the year, make, and model also affect your rate. The newer the car, the more powerful, the more coveted cars will always get a higher rate no matter how careful a driver you are.

    On our beemer, we paid $90/month...for our VW Passat, we pay $66/month.

    So, it also depends on the car, as well.

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    Default Re: car insurance Q

    Melonie,
    Hindu is a religion and Hindi is a language.
    http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/...k/geos/in.html
    Religions:
    Hindu 81.3%, Muslim 12%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, other groups including Buddhist, Jain, Parsi 2.5% (2000)
    Languages:
    English enjoys associate status but is the most important language for national, political, and commercial communication; Hindi is the national language and primary tongue of 30% of the people; there are 14 other official languages: Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, and Sanskrit; Hindustani is a popular variant of Hindi/Urdu spoken widely throughout northern India but is not an official language

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    Default Re: car insurance Q

    Quote Originally Posted by TigersMilk
    You guys are right I think I should stick with AAA....at least for the discount. They will have a tow truck driver come out to my car in case I lock my keys in the car or need it to be towed to a garage... [for]... $100....
    Yes, but as you can get all that for less than $50/yr on most insurance policies and a basic AAA membership will also get you the same thing regardless of who your insurer is, it ranks fairly low on the list of "determining factors." I agree with those who have advised you to go with an established insurer and then stick with them (barring something like an outrageous rate hike that puts them way out of line with the rates of their competitors), but beyond that there are basically only two major considerations: (1) rates; and (2) claims response history (some insurers have a disturbingly high rate of "dropped policies," meaning they have a propensity to "drop" their insureds if they're involved in an accident that results in a claim being made against the policy, regardless of fault.). And as rates often vary widely even among established insurers, you may well come out ahead by shopping around, getting a better rate, and just buying a separate roadside assistance plan from AAA or any number of other companies who offer similar services.
    "That's your answer Old Man? I guess you're a Hard Case too...."
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  11. #11
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    Default Re: car insurance Q

    When I had my car in Kansas the insurance was only $30/month (rural area, etc.)

    Now, in toronto, the same car costs $400 US to insure PER MONTH. So my yearly insurance bill is nearly $5k. It's really crazy up here, the insurance prices, everyone can feel it (even the grandmas who never had a wreck in their lives).

    But, last month I was doing some calculations and my monthly automatic withdrawal from my bank account X 12 turned out to be much more than my quoted annual premium. Turns out I was overcharged by $275 over the past year. I just got a refund cheque yesterday (yay!). So check your premiums to make sure you aren't being overcharghed

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    Default Re: car insurance Q

    Oh I have to ask.....what exactly is a premium?
    you live like an ivy vine
    you can only survive by clinging onto trees
    that's your flaw
    put down some roots so you can stand on your own
    -Kenpachi



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    Default Re: car insurance Q

    the premium is just the price you pay. So if I pay $600 every six months that is my insurance premium. It's just their way of saying "bill."

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    Default Re: car insurance Q

    Go for the highest deductable this should reduce the cost of your insurance , also anytime you get a moving violation go to the class if you are qualified to go .

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    Default Re: car insurance Q

    Thank you everyone for your input on this. I want to be as smart as possible when I am done dancing to be able to make good decisions and fully support myself.
    Buying a car and going w/ the right insurance (staying w/ AAA from your suggestions) will make me feel really good knowing that I can handle something like an adult.

    Thank you so much again
    you live like an ivy vine
    you can only survive by clinging onto trees
    that's your flaw
    put down some roots so you can stand on your own
    -Kenpachi



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    Default Re: car insurance Q

    CJ,this is for you:

    Since you have a Corvette,you can get collector car auto insurance.This company will insure your collector or exotic car with full coverage for a lot less then the auto insurance companies that insure regular cars.The beauty of this company is,you can still drive your collector/exotic car everyday,just like a regular car.My boyfriend insured all of his Corvettes through this company.

    http://www.grundy.com/
    One of woman's cardinal rule: Body parts can be fake,everything else has to be real.

    一个女人的枢机规则:肢体可以伪造,一切必须真实.

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    Default Re: car insurance Q

    Quote Originally Posted by onlythebest
    CJ,this is for you:

    Since you have a Corvette,you can get collector car auto insurance.This company will insure your collector or exotic car with full coverage for a lot less then the auto insurance companies that insure regular cars.The beauty of this company is,you can still drive your collector/exotic car everyday,just like a regular car.My boyfriend insured all of his Corvettes through this company.

    http://www.grundy.com/
    thanks- otb I will check this out !

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    God/dess onlythebest's Avatar
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    Default Re: car insurance Q

    Quote Originally Posted by CuriousJ
    thanks- otb I will check this out !
    No problem.Just wanted to help out a fellow Corvette enthusiast.

    One of woman's cardinal rule: Body parts can be fake,everything else has to be real.

    一个女人的枢机规则:肢体可以伪造,一切必须真实.

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    Default Re: car insurance Q

    Quote Originally Posted by onlythebest
    No problem.Just wanted to help out a fellow Corvette enthusiast.

    Go to the gallery its a little blurry but you get the picture

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    God/dess onlythebest's Avatar
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    Default Re: car insurance Q

    Quote Originally Posted by CuriousJ
    Go to the gallery its a little blurry but you get the picture
    Awesome hog!!!Are you going to Sturgis later this year???I might.
    One of woman's cardinal rule: Body parts can be fake,everything else has to be real.

    一个女人的枢机规则:肢体可以伪造,一切必须真实.

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    Default Re: car insurance Q

    Quote Originally Posted by onlythebest
    Awesome hog!!!Are you going to Sturgis later this year???I might.
    Really OTB I have been to a bunch the rallys and my opinion is its the same old shit after a while , it was great for a while but as you will see the towns turn into money pits the hotels are overpriced etc .I really like to cruise by myself or with a few friends just take it in and relax ....

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    Default Re: car insurance Q

    Quote Originally Posted by CuriousJ
    Really OTB I have been to a bunch the rallys and my opinion is its the same old shit after a while , it was great for a while but as you will see the towns turn into money pits the hotels are overpriced etc .I really like to cruise by myself or with a few friends just take it in and relax ....
    We were thinking about going on the campgrounds with most of the others and roughing it like that.From what I've been told,staying in a hotel takes away from the experience.

    EDITTED TO ADD: I talked to my BF about the exotic car insurance company and he told me to tell you that it would behoove you to not tell them that your Corvette is an everyday vehicle.He says that'll lower the value of the coverage if you tell them that.
    Last edited by onlythebest; 04-26-2005 at 05:07 PM.
    One of woman's cardinal rule: Body parts can be fake,everything else has to be real.

    一个女人的枢机规则:肢体可以伪造,一切必须真实.

    中国大CHINESE BIG BOOBS!!!中国大




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