driving record Archives - Comedy Defensive Driving®

EMOTIONAL MATURITY SHOULD DETERMINE INSURANCE RATES

Daun Thompson — Tue, 10 Dec 2019 13:00:45 +0000

I personally believe that emotional maturity should determine insurance rates. According to my “research” (buying my insurance agent a drink), automobile insurance rates generally drop when a driver turns 25 years of age. Of course, any decrease in rate is also affected if you haven’t received any tickets or weren’t involved in any accidents. It would be near impossible to avoid one of those within your 9-1/2 years of driving experience if you live in a large city with lots of traffic. That is assuming you got your license at 16 and have been driving with a learners permit at 15-1/2. I have also heard that insurance rates tend to decrease for males at 25, but for female drivers at 21. Some insurance agents say this is true, while some say it is not. But it is undisputed that a young male driver’s insurance rates are always higher than a female’s. I put my daughter on my insurance policy when she turned 16 and my insurance rates more than quadrupled! Yikes!! How much would my insurance have gone up if she was a boy? I actually did the math and found that it would have been cheaper to send her to Sweden to get a sex change. And she probably would have gone along with it. She’s pretty easy going.

WHY 25?

I have read that the frontal lobe completely develops by 25 years of age. And, it is all about taking responsibility and considering consequences for your actions. The frontal lobe is the part of the brain that controls important cognitive skills in humans, such as emotional expression, problem solving, memory, judgment and impulse control. This is actually one of the last areas of the brain to mature and scientists say may not be fully developed until halfway through the third decade of life. Of course, experience and time behind the wheel also affects a car insurance rate drop.

EMOTIONAL MATURITY

While this may be true, scientifically, I believe that some kids are just more mature than others (old souls, as they say). I know kids that work three jobs while putting themselves through school and helping to support a family. Now, that’s mature and responsible. Some young people are emotionally mature, while some never grow up. Heck, I have friends my age who are still immature and always in trouble. So, why should those who are mature and responsible pay the price for other’s actions? I believe insurance rates should not be based on one’s age, but rather be based on one’s emotional maturity. Perhaps a young driver should be required to pass an emotional evaluation exam. This, combined with driving errors on their driving record should determine what their insurance rates will be.

Until next week…

Daun Thompson

Writer / Comedienne / Artist

EMOTIONAL MATURITY SHOULD DETERMINE INSURANCE RATES – Comedy Defensive Driving

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Auto Insurance Rates

Daun Thompson — Mon, 15 Aug 2016 14:54:45 +0000

Parents of teenage drivers always have a barrage of advice for keeping auto insurance rates down. Who better to ask, than those who have experienced the pain in the wallet and who have already done the research? More often than not, I hear from these parents “Insure the car, not the kid.” Although, for some, this may be the solution to keeping your rates down, insurance companies know that you have a teenage driver living under your roof. My agent actually asked me if I wanted them to add my teenager to my policy. My daughter has been living away from home for three years now and my insurance rates are still pretty high. But, she has yet to change the address on her driver license and car registration and they both have my home address on them. I’m sure that’s why my rates did not decrease back to normal when she moved out. Teenage boys’ insurance rates can be upward of $400 per month, even with nothing on their driving record. And, boys’ insurance rates have always been higher than girls’ insurance rates. Still, when I put my daughter on my insurance policy, my rates more than quadrupled! Thank goodness she was born a female and not a male. I was curious as to how much my insurance rates would have increased if she were born a son. So, I did the math. And it actually would have been cheaper to send her to Sweden and get a sex change than it would have been to put “him” on my insurance policy. And she probably would have gone along with it. She’s a pretty easy going kid.

The bottom line is, insurance is all about risk. And few understand how to assess risk better than insurers. The factors in determining your insurance rates when evaluating those risks include:
• Age (rates generally go down at 25 and increase again at 62)
• Gender
• Zip Code (inner city or rural)
• Vehicle Type (sportscar or mini van)
• Marital Status (married is cheaper but totally not worth it…trust me)
• Driving Record (accident and citation history)
• Annual Mileage
• Credit Score
• Own or Rent Your Home

So, who actually receives the cheapest auto insurance rates??
• Females
• Over 25 Years Old (but under 62)
• Married (ugh..there we go again…)
• Vehicle is Older and Less Expensive
• Clean Driving Record (no accidents or citations)
• Live in a Rural Area
• Low Annual Mileage
• Good Credit Score (ugh..there we go again…)

At the end of the day, these drivers cost the insurers less money because they are a lower risk. So, if you want to know how to lower your insurance rates, here are a few options.
• Increase Your Deductibles
• Lower Your Maximum Coverage Limits (this is “iffy” since you must have the proper legal minimums in your state)
• Take a Defensive Driving Safety Course every three years
• (If you are a student) Maintain a High GPA
• Make Sure Your Car Has The Newest Safety Features (air bag, alarm, etc.)
• Maintain a Clean Driver Record (again, taking a Defensive Driving Safety Course to dismiss a citation will help)
• Move Outside of the City Limit
• Drive Fewer Miles
• Improve Your Credit Score

Just keep in mind, though, the company with the most attractive rates may not always be the best option for you. Shopping around for better rates with these points in mind will save you money. And we all know that the money we save can be used for other important expenses, like paying off our liquor store credit card charges.

Until next week…

Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist

Auto Insurance Rates – Comedy Defensive Driving

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Texas Driving Record And Why It Is Needed

Lisa — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 14:59:38 +0000

Texas Driving Record Can be required by Traffic Courts

In Texas when going before a judge or magistrate in traffic court, a person might have to product their Texas driving record. The reason the court wants to see a copy of your driving history is to determine if there are specific patterns to your driving habits, such as repeat offenses. After reviewing your driving record, the court may order traffic school in order to learn and develop defensive driving skills. The court may also restrict your license until the traffic school has been completed.

Texas Driving Record and Traffic School Record

People, who have to attend traffic school in Texas, may also need to obtain a copy of their Texas driving record. The court will establish deadlines for completing traffic school, and will require proof of completing the defensive driving course, as well as seeing a copy of your driving record. Traffic school can be completed either online or in a classroom setting offered by Comedy Defensive Driving, which uses comedians as instructors, and is state approved.

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THE HIGH PRICE OF DOING A “BAD”

Lisa — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 11:25:37 +0000

The high cost of traffic tickets has inspired me to blog about it.When I was a teenager, the maximum cost of a speeding ticket was about $50.And that was for manslaughter.You just can’t afford to kill anyone now.It’s the economy…not fair!Now, I see speeding tickets anywhere between $180 and $400!And that’s for a petty speed over the limit.If it were high enough over the limit, putting people’s lives in danger, who knows what the fines and jail time would be??Also, way back in the day, the ticket was a 3” x 6” piece of paper.Now most tickets look like a WalMart receipt. More paper to choke up the landfill…don’t even get me started. I bet when the ticket is printing out, the criminal’s heart is beating like mad… thinking “I hope to God that’s not my driving record!?”I use the term criminal, because that’s how they treat you.Once the ticket is processed back at the shop, they send you a letter in the mail entitled “Daun Thompson v.s. The State of Texas.”Not that I’ve gotten one. I’ve just seen them.In fact, I haven’t gotten a ticket in many years (knock on wood).And, I’ve found that you don’t want to go bragging about stuff like that. Because, if you do, the Karma Monkey will trip you up…and then you’ll get 3 tickets in a row (yes, 3 in a row…just like celebrity deaths).Weird, huh?

Here are a few of the fines I have come across lately. Loud Music?$144.00.Really bad loud music??Should be prison time, don’t you think? No Mud Flaps On Your Dually?$350.00.Just buy the freakin’ mud flaps…it’s cheaper…besides, you need that money for gas!Not Wearing Your Seat Belt?Between $100.00 and $250.00.It’s a $500 fine in Australia… but getting a kangaroo drunk is only $250…a bargain!Not Signaling? $177.00.Not signaling to a cop?The same, with an additional $177.00 fine for cutting off said cop who writes the ticket as an Unsafe Lane Change.One Mile Over the Speed Limit in a School Zone?$266.00.Ask any school teacher…and they’ll confirm it… they’ve all gotten one. Eleven Miles Over in a School Zone?$300.00.Again, ask any teacher. And while you’re at it, ask them how much the cell phone fine was in the school zone.

Until next week…drive safely…save money (you’ll need it to pay for the fuel for your private jet).

Doing property damage to city or state property is also very costly. The cost to replace a city/state light pole is between $700.00 and $1,000.00.To replace a stop sign is over $100.Taking out an overhead, hanging light in an intersection is the most costly.But, the only way you could take one of those out is with your private plane.So, you can certainly afford it.

Some of the fines I’m waiting to see??TWI (Texting While Intoxicated).DWS(Driving While Sexting).SWHOV(Sexting While in the H.O.V…because, remember…what happens in the HOV, stays in the HOV).

Daun Thompson

(Daun Thompson is a writer, comedienne and artist residing in Dallas, Texas)

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