Risky Driving Behaviors Linked to Rising Insurance Rates

Car insurance rates rose 12% in 2021 and are projected to increase another 5% in 2022, and risky driving behaviors is one of the reasons why, according to a new report from Insurify.

The report sets the stage by exploring recent trends in crash fatalities. While the fatality rate decreased 3% between spring 2020 and 2021, it remained 26% higher in 2021 than it was during the same period in 2019.

This suggests that reckless driving habits adopted during initial pandemic shelter-in-place orders have endured well beyond the onset of the pandemic.

For example, some 44% of drivers reported witnessing more aggressive driving on the roads in 2021 than before the pandemic.

Moreover, insurance rates went up in 2021, not only for drivers who received at least one ticket for a moving violation, but across the board. In fact, many drivers whose rates increased in 2021 did not have any violations on record, notes the report.

While many different elements help determine car insurance rates, driving violations significantly increase car insurance costs.

Risky behaviors like speeding, failure to signal before changing lanes, and tailgating are significant violations.

While fleet drivers continually need to be reminded to avoid risky driving for their own safety and the safety of all road users, rising insurance rates is another reason to maintain proper driving practices.

For example, even a single prior traffic offense can hike up the price of a driver’s premium by an average of 35%, notes the report.

Fleet operators should remind their team that aggressive drivers not only violate the organization’s safety policies, but they also have a negative impact on the enterprise’s bottom line.

Insurify’s data team classified aggressive drivers as those who have been charged with a prior infraction that indicates a serious disregard for others on the road. Those offenses include the failure to yield or stop, tailgating, street racing, hit-and-runs, negligence, and reckless driving.

Typically, aggressive drivers pay over 25% more in car insurance premiums than drivers with a clean record. That’s because insurance companies consider aggressive drivers to be more likely to reoffend and riskier to insure.