Careful Driving Can Save You Some Cash. Find Out How
Careful driving doesn’t just save lives, but it could also save you a lot of money. If you’ve always been a safe driver, you’ll be happy to learn that there are several things that you can gain from it. However, if you’re a daredevil who loves speeding when driving, you may want to consider slowing down and drive within the given speed limit, as well as observe traffic rules in order to avoid accident and violations. As mentioned, you’ll be able to save some cash. Here’s how.
Lower Premium on Car Insurance
When having your car insured, one of the things that the insurance company would check to determine your premium rate is your driving history. If you have a clean record like no violations, accidents or speeding tickets, you will get a lower rate because you will not be considered as a risk. Those who don’t have clean driving records are more likely to get higher premiums because they are considered as risks. There’s a bigger chance that the insurance company would spend money on these people, which is why they are charged higher.
Many insurance companies now offer safe driver discount to their clients. They check policyholders’ records during a specific interval, usually semi-annually, and add discount on those who were able to maintain a clean driving record. The discount could add up until the maximum set limit is reached, which often around 20%, although some could offer up to 50% discount.
Save on Your Gasoline
When you drive fast, more fuel is used by the car. Thus, driving within the given speed limit would not only keep you safe, but it would also lessen the fuel that the car use. This would mean savings on your part. Aside from over speeding, hard braking and rapid acceleration are other things that could also increase your gasoline usage. Avoid these things and you will be able to some money from gasoline, which would add up in the long run.
Prevent Costly Repairs
Aggressive driving could wear your vehicle faster. Your wheels may burst or they would get thinner more quickly, which would require you to have them replaced. This may also cause other parts to get damaged that would end up in costly repairs. You may also hit or bump into something that could damage your car and you’ll end up shedding cash to have it fixed.
Avoid Speeding Tickets
One of the obvious things that may happen if you go beyond the speed limit is that you will get a speeding ticket. However, this still doesn’t stop many drivers from driving really fast. While the cost of speeding tickets varies from one state to another, the average cost around the United States is $150. Imagine having to pay for that each time you get caught.
Prevent Vehicular Accidents
Careful driving would prevent car accidents that may not just hurt people, but could also take away lives. By driving safely, you could prevent this thing from happening. Moreover, you’ll also save yourself from the trouble of having to pay for your medical expenses, in case the other party is not insured.
Remember these benefits the next time you drive so you’ll drive more safely to save your life and that of other people, as well as to save cash.
Photo Attribution:
Featured and 1st image by Taber Andrew Bain from Richmond, VA, USA [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
2nd image by Famartin (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
