A friend of mine recommended a car insurance agent here in Maryland for me so that I can get cheap insurance policy. I haven’t gotten in touch with the agent, so I need to know, what are the things that the agent needs to know about me and my vehicle?

Savon

Silver Spring, MD

There are a lot of important things that a car insurance agent should have in order to help you get cheap insurance policy. Once you speak with the car insurance agent, you have to give him/her information about the car you’d want to insure such as its make and model, how old it is and the names of the ones who would drive the car, how old they are and the details of their driving record. Also, you need to give information such as how often you drive the car, where you live, the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), and if you have safety devices such as anti-lock brakes installed in your car.

Your driving history would play such a big role in determining if you can get cheap insurance policy in Maryland. The car insurance agent would like to find out if you belong to a high risk category. If it happens that you are considered as a high risk driver, you would have a hard time getting cheap insurance policy. But if not, of course it will be guaranteed that you will be offered cheap insurance policy. And even if you will be considered as a high risk driver, getting the discounts you are eligible for will give you some savings, thus having a chance of getting cheap insurance policy.

Would my car insurance rates here in Maryland, still increase even for minor traffic violations where the most that I got is a ticket?

Suzanne

Dundalk, MD

Although minor traffic violations themselves may not be enough to cause your insurance rates to significantly rise, accumulating traffic violations will and if this particular driving violation becomes one too many, you’re insurance rates can definitely increase and that’s aside from the possibility of your driver’s license getting revoked as well as heavy fines and penalties. What you don’t want to happen here is to allow your car insurance provider there in Maryland to file your record under ‘High-Risk” and repeatedly getting points against your driver’s license wouldn’t help you much in accomplishing that.

Here are some additional tips to help you keep auto insurance rates in check:

Maintain Continuous Coverage
Don’t allow your car insurance policy to get canceled. It will be much harder for you, not to mention a lot more expensive, to get reinstate one again.

Drive Safely and Responsibly
Be a safe driver. You really can’t afford to add anymore violations. This will be in your records for years and it will years of hard work to get these cleared up and the same amount of time before your insurance rates goes further down.

Enroll in Defensive Driving Classes
Not only will you learn additional skills in keeping yourself and your passengers safe, taking defensive diving classes will also qualify you for additional discounts towards your insurance premiums as well.

I wanna understand the things that my parents are referring to when they talk about my brother’s DUI conviction here in Bowie, Maryland. What does SR22 anything have to do with his DUI?

Darla

Bowie, MD

An SR22 insurance, sometimes being referred to as a proof of insurance certificate and would identify your brother as a person who has been convicted of a DUI. He can file the SR22 insurance form with his current car insurance company in Bowie, Maryland. But in many cases, the car insurance company could not have an SR22 insurance policy. This means that they do not offer car insurance policies to those who have a DUI on their driving record.

When your brother file an SR22 insurance though his car insurance company, the car insurance company should file it with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Once his SR22 insurance is filed at the DMV, any car insurance company would have access to it. When he has an SR22 insurance on file, car insurance companies would consider him a high risk driver. If your brother is in search for a car insurance company that can give him coverage for SR22, he can always get an online rate quote from this website.

Hi. I’m very much concerned about the premium on my car insurance. I was just recently charged with DUI here in Maryland. How will my DUI charge affect my premium?

Peter

Columbia, MD

It sometimes can be surprising how having a DUI charge in Maryland can immensely affect a driver’s life. Aside from the substantial amount that DUI convicts would have to pay and possible jail time, they give high regard about their car insurance premium.

It is possible that nothing will happen for some time if you already have a policy in effect. Your current insurance company may not find out that you have a DUI charge in Maryland. However, insurance companies sometimes randomly check driving records of their customers. In an instance of a DUI charge, many companies will non-renew your policy at expiration. Should that happen, there are several non-standard, commonly cited as high-risk, companies that would take you. It will not be unusual for your premium to triple with a non-standard insurance company. You should sit tight and not make any waves if you are currently getting your insurance from a preferred company.

I strongly suggest you pay your bills on time and more importantly, do not let it cancel. Also, do not change companies because any insurance company writing a new policy will order your driving record and find out about your DUI charge.