When first setting up your car insurance, the price you pay will for the most part be based around what you are willing to pay. But that price can quickly change depending on a number of different facets. The question on many people’s minds is how first tickets and cell phone tickets impact car insurance prices.
Cell phone violations are relatively new, but law enforcement is beginning to really crack down on this. Texting while driving is a major issue nationwide and even talking on the phone while driving is a violation in some cities and states. But how big of an issue is it with insurance companies?
Not big…for now! Because it is a new issue, insurance companies are still trying to figure out how to fine people. Leeway is also given to drivers while they adjust to the new rules, regulations and laws. After all, they do differ from state to state and even city to city. What you will find is that as more states enact laws regarding cell phones, insurers will begin to view these infractions as more serious.
The easiest example comes from the big state of California. Drivers who talk or text behind the wheel will be given tickets. However, the tickets don’t carry any points. With insurers using a version of a points system to determine rates, cell phone violations really don’t impact car insurance prices in California whatsoever for the time being.
Another area of question for many people is the first ticket. There is a big difference between someone getting their first ticket after having a license for a month versus someone who has had a license for 20 years and just receiving their first.
What you will find is that insurance companies do have a heart after all. A lot of times people with a clean driving record will be affected very little for a moving violation ticket. Insurance companies tend to view this as out of the ordinary. But if that same driver gets another ticket a month later, expect a little stiffer penalty.
Insurers will often times look for new points on your record twice a month, or when most policies come up for renewal. With violations staying on your driving record for three years, depending on the state, know that you may be under the radar for a few years after receiving that first freebie.
It’s difficult to assess just how car insurance prices are pieced together being that every state has different driving laws and regulations. However, there are several commonalities amongst the states and cell phone violations and first ticket offenders fall within the same realm.
