How Seat Belt Laws Affect Auto Insurance Quotes
Seat belt usage is not just a safety requirement from U.S. car manufacturers; it is also your state mandated law. All licensed drivers, including their passengers, must wear seat belts; not only for their personal safety, but also for protection against escalating insurance rates. Although many drivers are inconvenienced by the device, most would agree that the wearing of seat belts does save lives.
Seat belts are required under all driving conditions, whether driving leisurely around town or driving 70 miles per hour on an interstate; the simple process of strapping in or buckling up, ensures that drivers and passengers remain safely seated within their vehicle. Most accidents are deadly because passengers or drivers failed to use seat belts and were thrown from the car.
Seat belt laws are being enforced throughout the country. States have established two types of violations, primary and secondary. The primary violation is issued when a driver/passenger does not wear a seat belt. The secondary type is as a driver violates a moving violation, the officer may ticket them for the moving violation in addition to their seat belt violation. States are getting serious about violators. Troopers are cracking down on drivers and their passengers for not wearing their seat belt; whether there is a moving violation or not.
All auto insurance quotes are based on good driving skills. Violators of seat belt laws are also tracked or documented by their auto insurance companies, who in turn provide a poor driving rating. These driving/seat belt related violations cause rates to increase on an annual basis. When a driver is stopped for a moving violation or given a ticket for a seat belt violation, insurance companies receive the information via a state data base. The facts of the incident are then entered into the driver's insurance profile, thus the higher rate begins. Auto insurance quotes are based on driver performance and the ability to obey state laws.
Violators of seat belt laws are forced to pay hefty fines that increase insurance rates; while buckling, or obeying the law, may actually lower monthly premiums. Coverage should remain current at all times, since drivers may be stopped at anytime. A clear understanding of what is required as a driver, in addition to obeying state laws, may assist in keeping monthly and yearly premiums low.
"Click it Or Ticket," is not just a cute phrase heard via the media, it is a message created to encourage drivers to follow the law. The importance of buckling up can not be stressed enough, as it is vital to the safety and well-being of everyone in any given vehicle.
