How Often Do Car Insurance Companies Check Your Driving Record?

Are you looking for a car insurance company that suits your needs? One thing you should know that all car insurance companies consider is checking your driving record. So, how often do car insurance companies check your driving record? That question may be ringing in your mind, especially if you have a poor driving record.

All insurance companies will use your driving record as an indicator to see how obedient and responsible you are in driving. Instead of wondering, it’s better to find the answer by reading this article.

Terms of How Often the Driving Record is Checked by Insurance Companies

Checking the driving record is a procedure that all insurance companies will perform. In general, they will not check all the time but only at certain times. When is this certain time? Please find below:

1. When You Purchase a New Car Insurance Policy

All insurance companies will check the driving record of consumers who are going to buy a new car insurance policy. If your driving record is clean or has a few violations, this will have a positive impact on the premium rate you will pay.

Conversely, if the results of the driving record show that you often have accidents or frequently violate traffic, this will have a negative impact on your monthly premium.

2. Getting New Quotes

How often do car insurance companies check your driving record? Usually, car insurance companies will check their driving records when they offer new quotes. This check is intended to monitor your progress in driving.

For example, when you first buy a car insurance policy you have a poor driving record. As time goes on, your driving record improves and you rarely make claims. Policyholders who rarely make claims mean they rarely harm insurance companies. That is why the company also gives you new more interesting quotes and offers.

3. Your Insurance Is Expiring Soon

Insurance policies have a validity of a certain period. Usually, one month or a few weeks before your insurance policy expires, the insurance company will re-check your driving record.

The results of this check will affect the premium rate you will pay if you renew it. You have the opportunity to get a lower premium rate than before if your driving record shows good progress and you rarely make claims.

Why Do Car Insurance Companies Check Driving Records? 

The discussion at the beginning has explained at a glance the reasons why insurance companies always carry out driving record checks. The main reason is to know how risky you are when driving.

After you buy an insurance policy, the insurance company will cover the cost of car repairs, medical costs, or property damage costs due to accidents that occur. A driving record is a valid evidence that shows your driving behavior. 

You can buy a car insurance policy even though you have a poor driving record, it’s just that the insurance company will provide a much more expensive premium rate. The insurance company takes the policy so it can provide coverage if you get an accident.

These relatively more expensive premiums will not make you spend personal money to pay for medical expenses, vehicle repairs, or even other damages. Furthermore, insurance companies also do not suffer losses even though they have to frequently get claims.

What Can I Do to Improve My Poor Driving Record?

It’s not only about “How often do car insurance companies check your driving record?” that you need to pay attention to. If you have a bad driving history, then you also need to think about how to improve the history. Let’s immediately find out the tips to improve poor driving records as follows:

1. Fix Minor Violations

Minor violations contribute to your score driving record. Therefore, you must immediately fix the violation. So, what are some examples of minor violations? Those include broken tail lights, speeding, running through traffic, and many more.

After fixing all the minor violations you can show it to the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles). Thus, the officer will immediately delete the minor violations you make.

2. Manage Error Disputes in Your Driving Record

Before deciding to buy car insurance, first, check your driving record. If you find any errors such as violations or accidents that you did not experience, you can immediately approach the DVM to file a discrepancy.

For example, the violation should automatically disappear from the driving record after you pay a fine or follow the procedures in force. This discrepancy can work against you so it is important to resolve the error dispute immediately.

3. Join the Defensive Driving Course

Drivers who have poor driving records are highly recommended to take a defensive driving course. During the course, you will receive training from professional instructors for safe driving.

The course instructor will teach you how to focus on driving, dealing with stress while driving, dealing with fatigue, and many others. The training is very useful so the driver can handle the problem properly behind the wheel.

Furthermore, you will get a certificate proving that you have attended a defensive driving course. Typically, the insurance company will make the certificate a consideration in determining the premium rate.

4. Seek Suspension

You can find out if the state where you live provides a suspension. If so, you should consider the suspension option rather than deletion. To suspend a violation that you have committed, you must be willing to pay a small fee.

Another suspension condition is you may not make a driving violation within one year. If you successfully carry out these requirements, the violations you previously committed will not be added to the driving record at the end of the suspension period.

Does This How Often Do Car Insurance Companies Check Your Driving Record Post Helpful?

In a nutshell, answering the question “How often do car insurance companies check your driving record?” depends on the conditions. Generally, the car insurance company will check when you first buy an insurance policy, offer new quotes, and before the expiration of the insurance policy you have purchased.

The discussion above also explains the reasons why insurance companies check the driving record of potential customers. Besides, you can improve your poor driving record by following the tips shared.