Most people know that accidents, tickets, and other driving violations can negatively affect your insurance. While auto insurance premiums in California is some of the highest in the country, a ticket or other violation can significantly increase the amount you pay each month.
Just how much will a traffic violation increase your insurance price? While there is no exact number, most people estimate that even a minor violation can raise your auto insurance premiums by 10 to 15 percent. Minor violations include traffic offenses that are not very serious, such as improper turns or making an illegal u-turn. The penalties for minor violations are not very serious and can be dealt with in traffic court. More serious major violations include things such as a DUI, hit-and-run or vehicular manslaughter. Major violations are handled in criminal court and could lead to jail time.
Whether you get a minor or major violation, it lead to getting a point on your license. If you get to many points on your license in a certain period of time, such as 4 points in 12 months, your license can be suspended. If you pay the fee that is associated with a correctable offense, you will not get a point. Points from minor offenses stay on your record for three years, while major offense points stay for 10 years.
When you are looking into a new insurance policy, or renewing your current policy, the insurance company will look at your driving record for the past five years to see if you have any points. The more points you have on your license, the more expensive your insurance premiums will be. If you have to many points on your driving record, an insurance company can consider you too much of a risk, and cancel your policy altogether.
To make sure you have the best auto insurance policy in Northern California, contact Agers Insurance Services in Oakley.