News flash: Insurance companies penalize people for breaking traffic laws.
How? By hiking your auto insurance quotes.
The rates can vary greatly, as well as the time each change in premium lasts, but neither the insurance companies nor the local law take too kindly to infractions on the road of any kind.
When driving, there are some basic things that, in most states, will catch the eye of local law enforcement (which, as a general rule, is the last thing you want to do) and send your auto insurance quotes through the roof! Speeding- Driving too quickly is the most common traffic violation, so try and curb that lead foot, okay? Reckless Endangerment- This is any kind of driving, including speeding, that puts others in danger as well as yourself.
Reckless endangerment only gets handed down when you're doing something spectacular, such as driving 80 through a work zone; however, since each state has its own definition, for the purposes of this article we'll just say you really, really don't want to do it.
Driving Under The Influence or While Intoxicated - Just don't do it.
One beer counts, and it can land you in jail or kill someone.
Hitting Another Vehicle, Whether They're Parked or Not - Causing an accident is bad news for you, your car, the other people or property involved, and your insurance rates.
Leaving the scene is even worse.
These may seem pretty obvious, but here are a few others that can be just as dangerous and that will, in many states, still count against your license and, therefore, your insurance premiums: Parking illegally Running a red light or stop sign Turning against a light or sign Failing to yield to traffic or right of way Driving with damaged turn signals or brake lights Transporting an oversize load in an unsafe manner Using the carpool lane without enough passengers Some laws may not seem "fair" to you, especially when you're talking about something that's going to affect your auto insurance quotes for at least the next 5 years.
Should a taxpayer who has paid for a road legally be denied use of the carpool lane? It's arguable.
There are still more laws, listed here by state, that make varying degrees of sense.
Some of these laws seem impossible to break, but one must remember- they're on the books for a reason, and, if you're caught, the officer at the scene is the one who decides whether or not to enforce them: Blind people are not allowed to drive motor vehicles (New York) - Makes you wonder what happened to necessitate the law, doesn't it? Cars are not permitted to drive in reverse.
(parts of Arizona) - Park well! Women are not allowed to drive while wearing a housecoat (California).
- A bikini, though, is just fine.
A vehicle without a driver may not exceed 60 mph (California).
- The moving violation still goes to the 'driver'.
No eating is permitted in the vehicle in certain parts of Connecticut.
- You can pick things up at the drive though, but wait to eat until you're home.
It is illegal to spit from a car or a bus.
Spitting from a truck is okay.
(Georgia) - 'Nuff said.
You may not run out of gas in Youngston (Ohio).
- Would this be a parking violation? Leaving a car door open longer than is deemed necessary is a ticketable offense (Oregon).
- Practice may be necessary before a trip to this state.
Driving while not wearing shoes is prohibited (Virginia) - Officers do still enforce this one occasionally, even if you just slipped them off for a second! Most traffic laws, in general, are there for public safety, and some would argue that it's only fair that people who break the law pay twice, once with a ticket and again with a higher insurance premium.
There are others who argue that the ticket is punishment enough.
(Have you seen what court costs look like lately?) Regardless of which side of the fence you happen to stand on, rest assured that staying out of the line of fire is the best way to preserve your auto insurance quotes.