What You Need to Know about High Risk Drivers?

If you’re paying a little more than average on your auto insurance each month, it may be due to an auto insurance brokerage labelling you as a high-risk driver. Although you might think this label is due to an at-fault accident at some point in your driving history, there are actually many reasons that you may be considered a high-risk driver and how you can work to get out from under the term.

Driving History

There are a lot of reasons why you might be considered a high-risk driver. Although it’s not always due to dark spots on your driving record, it can be. If you’ve ever gotten a DUI or DWI, or if you’ve had multiple traffic citations, and yes, having auto accidents in your past can put you on the high-risk driver list with your brokerage.

New Drivers

Your insurance policy protects you of course, but the insurance company that issued it in the first place needs to protect themselves. Your insurance premium is the amount that the insurance company feels it’s worth to insure you. New drivers are one subset of motorists who are more likely than most to get in an accident, so the insurance premiums for these high-risk drivers is going to be higher than the average.

How to Remove the Label

The good news is that there are some things that you can do to get away from the high-risk driver label. First, when it comes time to renew your policy, ask whether the accidents or citations listed on your record will be taken off. It may be three to five years before these can be removed from your record, so just know when your record qualifies for lower insurance premiums. Second, if you’re a teenager, the best thing and perhaps the only thing that you can do is just wait. In the meantime, start practicing safe driving habits and obey the speed limit so that you can avoid traffic tickets as much as possible. The laws are there to protect you and can save you money if you’re keeping them in mind on the road.

Being a high-risk driver isn’t the end of the world, and it doesn’t even necessarily mean that there’s anything wrong with your driving history. An auto insurance brokerage will place this label on many different types of drivers for different reasons. With a clean driving history and making smart driving choices going forward, you can get out from under the label.