Cheap car insurance can be hard to find and very expensive for someone with a bad driving record. Your driving record is essential to insurance companies as they use it to analyze the risk associated with issuing you a policy. Basically, if you have a bad driving record, it means you have to pay higher premiums.
Keep reading as Affordable Car Insurance Tampa discusses ways in which you can find car insurance when you have a bad driving record.
How does a bad driving record affect your car insurance?
Simply put, insurance companies run a report to check your driving record, and this is to help them determine your insurance premium based on the violations found on your record. Usually, older violations tend to drop off your driving record after a few years but it’s the more recent ones that can cause damage. Yes, there are insurance companies that cover high-risk drivers, but the premiums may cost more.
Car insurance is more expensive for bad drivers. Your rates are affected by poor driving habits and also if you have accidents on your record. High risks drivers are individuals who have been caught driving without insurance, drivers with poor credit scores, or drivers with a history of traffic violations. These situations make it harder to get insurance, and that is why it becomes expensive.
How do you get insurance with a bad driving record?
Having a bad driving record can be a nuisance, especially when you want to get insurance, especially if you have a reckless driving charge. However, there’s always a way to get around things. Here are some of the ways of getting insurance with a bad driving record:
- Be upfront about your driving record
Several situations can raise your rates or make it even more difficult to get your car insurance. For example, if you’ve been convicted of drinking and driving, if you’ve been involved in an at-fault accident and if you’ve been caught and given a speeding ticket. All these situations can give you a bad driving record.
However, being upfront and honest about your driving history is still very important. You might get inaccurate quotes if you try to hide the truth. Insurance companies may choose to either increase your rates or decline to insure your car after running a report. Therefore, if you want to get accurate results, you need to provide the right information.
- Look for non-standard insurance
If you’ve been rejected by several private car insurance companies, you should consider looking at non-standard insurance, also known as a high-risk insurance policy. These types of insurance companies are specifically designed for high-risk drivers and there are a lot of companies that offer this coverage. It’s not cheap but it’s very easy to get, so that’s the best part about it. What’s more, high-risk insurance companies usually cover drivers who need an SR 22.
- Take advantage of discounts
Insurance companies offer insurance discounts that you may be eligible for. High-risk insurance companies are also known to offer discounts to clients. These discounts may have to do with reduced rates for financial stability and owning a home, multi-policy, and multi-car discounts. Depending on your specific provider, you might qualify for these discounts. You must contact your insurance provider to see what discount you have and also see how you can use them to your advantage.
- Save money with a proper payment plan
If all attempts fail and you can’t lower your rates any further, you should ask your insurance company about a proper payment plan that will work for you. These payment plans are hardly advertised, but most insurance companies can find a way that will help you finance your payments.
You save money based on the plan you choose. Paying upfront in full may also help you get a discount, so you need to inform your provider if you can do so. Allowing automatic payments from your bank can also save you money.
Hopefully, now you have some knowledge on how you can get insurance with a bad driving record, and you will be able to make better decisions for yourself. And whatever you do, drive safely out there!
For more information, give us 10 minutes of your time and we’ll provide a free quote when you contact us.