Cost Of Insurance & Wrecks

Its a proven fact: Safe drivers cost less to insure. How does an auto insurance company know that youre a safe driver? By your driving record. Unfortunately, when youre a new driver, you have no record. Its impossible for anyone to know how well youre going to drive. Youre going to have to take it day by day, drive by drive.

Number of tickets Chance of crashing next year
1 1.6 times more likely
2 2.2 times more likely
3 2.5 times more likely
4 3.1 times more likely
5 3.5 times more likely


Life on the real road story - The cost of speeding

High school junior Matt Gulyas thought he was cool. Driving a borrowed convertible at 80 mph on a sunny day, he was feeling great. The car was handling the road curves smoothly, and Matt was confident he could edge the speedometer up a notch or two.
Ready... Earlier that day, when Matt begged his friend, Andrea, to let him drive her new convertible, she hesitated. Her father told her not to let Matt get behind the wheel. The car was her pride and joy, and cost a great deal of money. Her dad knew Matt was a fun-loving kind of guy. If that car got wrecked, shed have a lot to pay.
Set... Matt knew the value of money. Through hard work after school and on weekends, he saved quite a bit of cash. He planned to spend it on a car, a trip, some cool stuff, college, whatever. It made him feel good to know it was there. He counted on it. The cash was part of his future. A very important part.
Experienced drivers know to expect the unexpected. Most new drivers have only been told about dangerous situations, but they have not had to face them. Theyve heard about what can happen when bad driving decisions are made, but they havent lived through the consequences.
Even so, it doesnt take long for a new driver to feel experienced and believe they can successfully negotiate the unexpected when it happens. The trouble is, if a situation is unexpected, how can any driver really be prepared to expect it? The trick is having the know-how to predict what could possibly go wrong, and doing everything to avoid a tragic outcome.
GO! ... Matt was nearing a dip in the road and pushing the pedal to the metal to make a big jump on the rebound. Suddenly, a car turned onto the road ahead, directly in front of him. Not wanting to slow down, Matt shifted to the left lane to pass, and gunned the engine.
Matt quickly closed in to pass the slower car, and then the unexpected happened: The car made a left turn directly in front of him. Matts foot hit the brake pedal instantly, but it didnt matter. He smashed into the car and the force pushed them both off the road.
The slamming crunch of metal and the squeal of rubber was earsplitting. Matt didnt think about it then, but when everything came to a halt a few seconds later, he realized all his hard-earned money had been completely spent.
Luckily, neither Matt nor the other driver were seriously hurt. The police arrived and informed Matt that he could be charged with assault with a deadly weapon, as well as reckless driving and speeding. As Matt stood by the twisted hunk of metal that used to be his friends car, all he could think of was, How am I going to tell her that her dad was right?
The other driver decided not to press assault charges, but Matt did receive a citation from the officer. The fine was not small, but it was nothing in comparison to what he ended up paying. Matts parents insisted that he pay for his friends car, as well as the repair of the car he hit - a total of $6,500. His plans for the future went up in smoke, bent metal and burnt rubber. The cost for a few seconds of fun and speed? An empty bank account and a ruined friendship. How cool is that?

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