Your driving record can majorly impact your motorhome insurance. Since a motorhome is a vehicle it’s affected by the same factors that impact your car insurance including your driving record. We’ll review how a driving record can affect your motorhome insurance in this article.
What’s a Driving Record?
Your driving record includes the following:
- How long you’ve been licensed
- If you’ve taken a driver’s training course
- How many tickets you have
- The severity of the tickets
- How many accidents you’ve been at-fault in
A driving record is basically a snapshot of how experienced you are at driving and how safe of a driver you are.
When it comes to tickets insurance companies only care about when you got the ticket and if it was a minor or serious infraction. Tickets stay on your record for 3 years from the date you pay them although criminal driving convictions will stay on for 6-10 years depending on the insurance company.
That means a speeding ticket where you’re going 1 km/h over the limit is considered to be the same as a speeding ticket where you’re going 40 km/h over the limit as both are considered minor infractions. A speeding ticket for 50 km/h over the speeding limit is a serious traffic infraction and will be treated far more harshly by insurance companies.
Finally at-fault accidents are considered alongside the number of claims you’ve had (although these are not part of your driving record). Insurers will keep at-fault accidents on your driving record for 6 to 10 years.
Your Driving Record Affects…
Your driving record affects your motorhome insurance in the following ways:
- Which discounts you can get
- Which coverage you’re eligible for
- Which payment options you have available
- Your rates
If you have a perfect driving record you’ll find you have lower rates more payment options and more discounts for your motorhome insurance. If you’ve got a few minor tickets you’ll see higher rates and occasionally limited payment options (such as you’ll need to pay in full instead of monthly).
In extreme cases you will see very high rates limited coverage options and required upfront payment. In Alberta insurance companies cannot refuse to provide the legally required insurance ($200,000 in third party liability and accident benefits) however they do not need to offer more coverage and it may be expensive.
What can I do to improve my driving record and lower my motorhome insurance rates?
If you’re concerned that your motorhome insurance (and car insurance) rates are too high and the culprit is your driving record there are only two things you can do:
- Take a driver’s training course.
- Avoid getting any more tickets by practicing safe defensive driving.
Unfortunately if you have tickets or accidents on your record you just need to wait it out. There are other ways to reduce your motorhome insurance rates including:
- Bundling your insurance with one insurance company
- Raising your deductible
- Don’t submit a claim if you can pay it out of pocket
- Pay your bills on time – your credit rating affects your motorhome insurance rates
- Install an approved security or loss prevention device
- Stay insured