Why Auto Insurance Rates Go Up
Auto Insurance is based on risk and reward. Your insurance company must balance the risk-to-reward ratio to be a profitable business. But there are factors which influence how and if that happens and how you drive is a big one.
If your driving habits change (for the worse), the insurance company may need to raise your insurance rates to stay in business. In other words, a car crash, a speeding ticket, or some such altercation you experience, will likely cause your rates to go up. Fortunately, most insurance companies will remove accident claims and minor violations from your record after a designated length of time.
Fender benders are one thing, but offenses such as leaving the scene of an accident or repeated DWI violations, means you will be placed in a high-risk pool which could cost many times more than normal premiums. And once you are earmarked with such violations, insurance companies will be wary of your driving record going forward.
Economic conditions can also affect rising insurance rates and when sluggish investments occur, businesses often must increase their rates. And, there are conditions you and I have no control over that cause insurance rates to go up, such as state auto insurance laws.
As an individual, you can have an impact on your insurance rates by driving safer and avoiding risky situations when you’re behind the wheel. Here are some interesting statistics for Winkler County that shuld encourage everyone to drive more defensively and keep rates and accidents down.
ODA | All Crashes | ||
Counties | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
Andrews | 238 | 243 | 388 |
Crane | 61 | 80 | 96 |
Ector | 2691 | 3477 | 5170 |
Loving | 18 | 66 | 103 |
Martin | 158 | 256 | 267 |
Midland | 3940 | 4656 | 5587 |
Pecos | 437 | 429 | 379 |
Reeves | 387 | 727 | 922 |
Terrell | 15 | 20 | 34 |
Upton | 49 | 47 | 59 |
Ward | 206 | 403 | 577 |
Winkler | 97 | 187 | 313 |
TOTAL | 8287 | 10591 | 13895 |
From 2016 to 2018, total crashes in the Odessa District were up 67% and the fatalities were up 97%. In addition, Commercial Motor Vehicle crashes in the Odessa District during that same time-frame were up 160% and CMV related fatalities were up 122%. Let us ALL be a defensive driver in 2019 and make these numbers go down.