When you are driving on a daily basis, it is important to remember that your decisions and habits affect your life in other ways. Any time you get a ticket or get into an accident, the event will go on your driving record. What is a clean driving record? This is typically the record of someone who has never gotten a ticket before in their time driving a motor vehicle. 

Not all tickets are made the same, though. Getting pulled over for running a stop sign or parking in a handicapped spot is not going to be penalized as heavily as driving under the influence. 

Your driving record is a reflection of your choices and decision-making. Some people and businesses will look at your driving record and make judgments about your character. This is why it is vital to drive as safely and carefully as you can.

Your Driving Record Affects Your Insurance Costs

There is a lot to dig into when discussing driving records and auto insurance rates. Most of the time, having a clean driving record should make getting auto insurance a breeze. 

Your driving record is a demonstration to the insurance company that you are a safe and intelligent driver. You are someone who doesn’t pose a huge risk to yourself, others, and the insurance company. 

When people are getting tickets or getting arrested for something illegal they have done while driving, this is a huge red flag for an insurance company. Who would you want to insure if you were in their position: the person who has never gotten into an accident, or the person who has collected four speeding violations and run five red lights?

External Factors on the Road

It can be hard to be perfect while driving, especially when there are so many external factors that affect your performance. Sometimes other people make a mistake on the road, such as going through an intersection when they aren’t supposed to. 

If you have a green light and you go through, you will be in the middle of the accident. This accident will go on your driving record, but at least you weren’t the initiator of the accident.

 

 People who have made a mistake on the road should work to correct their habits and improve their driving skills so they can show their insurance company they’ve improved. Making the same driving mistakes over and over will dig you a hole that’s hard to escape from. 

You should also think about other factors that are out of your control when it comes to your driving record. Some age groups are deemed higher risks to their insurers. Younger people and seniors are going to have higher rates on their insurance based on their demographic’s history of getting into more accidents. 

Insurance companies have proof these groups are more likely to get into trouble on the road, which means there is a lot of variation in average car insurance rates by age and gender. This means these people should try even harder to keep a clean record because they already have two strikes against them.

Your Driving Record Can Affect Getting a Job

As was mentioned already, your driving record is sometimes a reflection of your temperament and your personality. Many employers will look at your driving record to see what you have done in your past. It’s a way to learn more about a person beyond what they see in interviews and job applications. 

Let’s say you got into an accident one time because you had a huge road rage episode. You accidentally rear-ended someone because you were distracted from yelling and screaming at another driver. This would show a potential employer that you may have a bad temper, and they may worry this will translate poorly to the office. 

This may seem unfair, but it’s just like any other way companies look at you to make judgments about your personality. You’ve probably heard about how you should be careful what you put on Facebook or Twitter. One ignorant post on social media and you could find yourself looking for another job. 

Make sure you monitor your thoughts and expressions online. The only thing you can do is represent yourself well outside of the workplace. This is because your employer will then know you are representing them with integrity. Driving responsibly creates an environment where people want to be associated with you.

Driving Poorly Is Dangerous

So how do you maintain a good driving record? We know it’s important, but what are some ways to make it happen? There are small lifestyle changes you can make that will positively influence your driving habits. Let’s start with sleep and exercise. Being healthy will help you to feel more energetic and therefore alert behind the wheel. 

You won’t be as likely to run any stop signs or as likely to hit deer that dart onto the street. It doesn’t mean it can’t still happen, but preventive action is more about putting yourself in the best position to succeed when driving.

Getting Emotional on the Road

If you feel angry when you are driving, try to see an anger management therapist. Often people who struggle to stay composed on the road also have anger management issues in other areas of their life. Trying to stay calm when you aren’t driving will help when you do get on the street. 

Having a clean driving record says a lot about you as a person. You will be proud of yourself for improving your driving skills because you will then have better insurance rates. When you’re confident in your driving skills, you can have more freedom to travel or go somewhere. 

You can go on a road trip and enjoy the scenery without worrying that your rash driving decisions will derail the trip. Having a clean driving record will be very beneficial financially for you and your family.

 

Shawn Laib writes and researches for the auto insurance comparison site, AutoInsurance.org. He wants to help people understand how they can maintain a clean driving record, therefore making other things in life easier.