Smart Auto Insurance Blog

One of the major factors auto insurance companies use when determining your car insurance rates is your driving record.  According to the article “Are You Driving Distracted, and is Your Auto Insurance Suffering” published on lexch.com, even non-fatal crashes are bad to have on your driving record.  Driving safely can end up saving you a lot of money in the long run.

According to Distraction.gov, which is the official US Government site for distracted driving, there are 3 main types of distractions which include visual, manual and cognitive.  In 2008, distracted drivers caused about 5870 fatal car crashes.  This is a staggering statistic which should motivate us all to stop unnecessary distractions while driving such as talking on our phone, texting, or eating.  Even having a conversation with other passengers can distract you from focusing on the road.

Before you get car insurance quotes, be sure to understand where your driving record stands.  Accidents do fall off your record over time as well as tickets and even some DUI’s.  But it’s important to note that the safer you drive, the less likely you are to be in an accident and pay higher car insurance rates.  Not to mention you may save lives, including your own and friends and family, if you are consistently a very safe driver.  There are so many reasons to drive safe, and no good reason to risk it and distract yourself from paying constant attention to the road.

According to the article “Driver Distractions Behind Auto Insurance Rate Hikes” by Danny Workman on examiner.com, 80% of crashes and 60% of near crashes are the result of driver distractions such as spilled coffee, hot soup, tacos and hamburgers.

Many of these accidents occur when the lead automobile is stopped and is rear ended by a driver who is distracted.  Statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Virgina Tech Transportation Institute find that these crashes and near crashes happen within 3 seconds of a driver being distracted.

Some other distractions that are causing auto insurance rates to increase are talking on the phone, text messaging, tuning the car radio, reading a map, lighting a cigarette and applying makeup or shaving.  While it may seem obviously dangerous to do many of these tasks while driving it happens all the time and many of these items are becoming illegal in an attempt to make the roads safer.