It’s little more than a toy now, but someday soon, drivers in Barstow and Mojave may be able to use a new technological tool to decrease their insurance rates, particularly if they have tickets on their records.
A pair of San Francisco startups have developed a smartphone app that complies a FICO-like score for driving behavior. Eventually, developers hope that the device will transmit miles driven, brake application, acceleration rates, and other driving metrics directly to the insurance company, which will then assign rates based on that data. Such “usage-based pricing” is supposedly fairer than the current risk-based model. For now, the gadget is useful for keeping track of employees and also as Fitbit-esque “shamification,” according to eDriving CEO Celia Stokes.
Allstate, Liberty Mutual, and Progressive already offer usage-based insurance in some states.
Traffic Tickets and Insurance Rates
California has some of the most restrictive insurance laws in the country, and chief among them is the ban on using credit scores to set auto insurance rates. Many consumer advocates hailed this development, but it may have had some unintended consequences. Driving record is about the only way to assess risk, so speeding tickets sometimes have a much greater effect in California than they do elsewhere.
As a result, according to one source, the average price of a California traffic ticket is about twenty times the fine, when considering increased insurance rates. Typically, premiums go up for at least three years, and after that, customers can shop around for a lower rate. Attorneys can often get the charges reduced, so speeding tickets have less of an effect on monthly bills.
Getting Legal Help
The aggressive attorneys at Bigger & Harman, APC, are committed to giving individuals a voice when dealing with speeding and traffic tickets. Call today at 661-349-9300 or email attorney@markbigger.com to receive the personal professional attention you deserve. En español, llame al 661-349-9755.
Traffic tickets in Barstow and Mojave cost an average of twenty times the fine, when considering direct and indirect costs. To save money, call us.