The national highway and traffic safety administration is continuing to share alarming statistics such as this one shared in 2020.

 “Out of 5 million crashes reported in 2020, 13% were due to distracted drivers, that’s nearly 680,000 accidents that could have been completely avoided with safer driving practices.”

Today, there are so many distractions drivers can fall victim to. This can include phone use from making calls, sending texts, taking or watching videos, being distracted by passengers, eating, drinking, putting on makeup, and more. 

We know distracted driving can have detrimental consequences that should be more than enough to deter drivers from participating, yet it continues to happen. 

An additional consideration drivers must make is how distracted driving can affect their insurance costs. Insurance companies view distracted driving as incredibly risky behavior, and rightfully so. So if you are caught distracted driving the consequences may go straight to your wallet through your insurance premium on top of additional fees. 

How distracted Driving may be factored into your car insurance premiums. 

When you are looking to purchase or renew your car insurance, most insurers will pull your driving reports. This will show your driving records so insurers can use this information to determine the risk involved in insuring you as a driver and give you a quote. Here are a few things your driving record could reveal that may increase your premium costs. 

• Accident history- Let’s say these reports show a history of prior accidents that may or may not have been caused by distracted driving—you may be at a higher risk of having future accidents. As a result, car insurance companies may factor that risk of future accidents into a higher car insurance premium. Here’s how it breaks down:
• Traffic violation history-Car insurance companies use your driving history reports to determine how many citations you’ve had for distracted driving, speeding and more.If you’ve had multiple citations (tickets) for these dangerous driving behaviors, insurers may equate that to risk, which can mean one thing: a higher premium to pay.

At the end of the day, distracted driving can play a big role in your car insurance premiums. If you are looking to save on your car insurance cost, driving without distraction is a great way to do so!

Springfield, Ohio Auto Insurance

For more information about best practices to avoid distracted driving or how you could save on Springfield, Ohio Auto Insurance contact our team at Link-Hellmuth Insurance. We are huge advocates of safe driving practices for the best interest of all drivers as well as the impact of savings on your insurance premiums. That’s a win-win!