Car insurance: how to get the best deal with a bad driving record | Buying Auto Insurance

So you have a bad driving record? Don’t despair – there are ways you can still save money on your car insurance. Before we tell you how to do that, consider ways of improving your driving record such as being more cautious, obeying speed limits and traffic signs and signals and paying your bills on time (your credit history may be directly related to how much you pay in insurance premiums). That being said, there are ways to save money on your premiums now.

Reduce the amount of insurance you carry. This may sound simple, but consider driving a less expensive car where you don’t need to carry certain types of coverage, such as comprehensive (which covers your vehicle, and sometimes other vehicles you may be driving for losses resulting from incidents other than collision, such as fire and flood), and collision (which covers damage to your car when your car hits, or is hit by, another vehicle or other object and pays to fix your vehicle). You can also decrease the amount of liability insurance you carry as long as you carry the minimum amount prescribed by your state law. However, beware of decreasing your amount of liability coverage if you own other assets, such as a home or business, as a serious accident could put those assets in jeopardy if damages exceed your liability coverage.

Other tips. High risk drivers should realize that most insurance companies will not hold your past against you forever. In fact, insurers may consider you a good risk with a two or three year record of having no points against you – and even sooner if you bring your credit rating from the red to the black. But don’t lie to insurer about your record when applying for insurance. Most insurers have sixty (60) days to investigate your background. If they find out you lied, they’ll cancel your policy immediately and you may have an even harder time getting insurance in the future.

Shop around. High risk drivers, more than anyone, should shop around for the best rates. When shopping for insurance, keep in mind that there are many insurance companies that specialize in high risk drivers. Unfortunately, many say that they will insure anyone, but they may not be able to save you money.