3 Driving Habits that make Car Insurance Shopping a Drag

Car insurance shopping isn’t exactly what most people would consider fun. Especially if you’re one of “those” drivers. You know the kind. The kind that make getting an accurate online quote on auto insurance an exercise in futility because there isn’t enough room on the internet disclosure form to list all of your traffic infractions and moving violations. In situations such as these, car insurance shopping is a great opportunity to have a long, hard look at yourself in the mirror to determine what has to change in order for you to someday be able to compare auto insurance quotes that contain far fewer zeroes.

If you’re not what anyone would consider a “horrible” driver, you’re not off the hook, either – as you’ve likely already discovered while car insurance shopping. There is a laundry list of bad behaviors behind the wheel that put your wallet and the people around you in jeopardy that have nothing to do with being unable to commandeer a vehicle in a skilled fashion. Here are a few of the most common.

The Oblivious Driver
If this describes you, you’re probably not aware of it – just as you’re totally unaware as to why everyone’s always honking when you’re out on the road. Here’s a clue: people use their horns as a way of shouting audible corrections to one another on the road when the other person is about to do something horribly regrettable, like veering into their lane. It’s not a method of saying hello to one another. If you’re always getting honked at and you’re not sure why, you’re probably an oblivious driver. Try paying attention to others on the road around you, signaling when you turn, stopping at stop signs, keeping up with the flow of traffic, and staying out of the left lane on the freeway if you’re only doing the speed limit. The list could go on, but space is limited.

The Unconscientious Driver
There are some people out on the roads that take it as an affront if someone passes them – or tries to pass them – on the road. They’ll immediately speed up if they sense someone approaching them, even if moments before they were taking up the far left lane of the freeway doing five miles under the speed limit. If you’re one of these, you’re likely what others would call an inconsiderate or unconscientious driver. You also probably never use your turn signal when you should, and when exiting the road you probably never get out of the way of traffic. For all you know, you’ve probably escaped getting rear ended a hundred times by drivers far more conscientious and aware than yourself. Thank goodness for the skills of other drivers on the road.

The Speed Demon
Perhaps most people have to live by the rules, but it’s apparent that some feel they’re above the law when it comes to obeying things like speed limits, stop signs and general rules of the road. The only trouble with drivers like these is that they expect everyone not doing 100 miles per hour to speed up or get out of the way. They also put everyone else on the road in jeopardy of ending their daily commute home in a flaming ball on the side of the road. If you’re a speed demon and you see no reason why you should change your habits, don’t go expecting the insurance companies to see any reason not to charge you through the nose for your car insurance.

Oblivious drivers, unconscientious drivers, and speed demons aren’t necessarily bad drivers. They may have a perfect mastery of the physical act of driving and would probably pass any driver’s test they were put to as a result. But once they’re out of a test environment, everything goes out the window. If you fall into either one of these three categories and see a spike in your insurance rates every time you go car insurance shopping, it’s time to change your habits. If you don’t, the only person you have to blame for paying absurdly high premiums is yourself.