Accidentally run a red light or drive a little too fast, and you may get a ticket. But that is just the start of your worries.
Many types of traffic violations can drive your car insurance premium dramatically higher, according to a study from insurance comparison tool The Zebra.
For example, blow through a red light, and your rate can be expected to jump by an average of 23.3%. That could cost you an extra $ 361 in your annual premium, The Zebra says in its 2020 State of Auto Insurance Report.
Tickets for more serious offenses can prove especially costly — increasing your premium by as much as 78%, on average.
Below are 13 violations that increase premiums by an average of more than 25% over the course of a year, according to The Zebra.
- Following too closely: 25.5% ($ 395)
- Speeding in a 65 mph zone: 27.6% ($ 428)
- Passing a school bus: 28.5% ($ 441)
- Speeding 21-25 mph over the limit: 29.7% ($ 460)
- Operating a vehicle without permission: 31.1% ($ 481)
- Driving with an open container: 34.7% ($ 537)
- At-fault accident: 41.1% ($ 636)
- Reckless driving: 67.0% ($ 1,038)
- Driving with a suspended license: 67.4% ($ 1,043)
- Refusing a breathalyzer/chemical test: 69.8% ($ 1,080)
- DUI: 71.0% ($ 1,099)
- Racing: 73.1% ($ 1,131)
- Hit and run: 78.3% ($ 1,212)
Lowering your car insurance costs
Clearly, it pays to drive carefully and obey the law. But there are other ways to lower your car insurance costs as well.
Perhaps the best tip for trimming your car insurance costs is to shop around. You can do this by calling around to different insurers or filling out forms on their websites, or you can let a service like The Zebra or Gabi do all that homework for you.
Sometimes you can save by dropping coverage you no longer need, such as comprehensive and collision coverage
As Money Talks News founder Stacy Johnson writes in “How to Get the Best Possible Deal on Car Insurance”:
“The rule of thumb when it comes to comp and collision: If the premiums exceed 10% of the value of your car, you might consider dropping the coverage.”
Lastly, you might qualify for a break on your car insurance through memberships that you already have, as we detail in the video below.
How do you save on car insurance? Share your tips in comments below or on our Facebook page.
Disclosure: The information you read here is always objective. However, we sometimes receive compensation when you click links within our stories.
