Your driving record will follow you from the day that you get your license to the day you decide not to get behind the wheel anymore. And, the impact of your driving record can extend to many other aspects of your life. While everyone knows that your DMV record will affect your car insurance quotes, you might be surprised that it can also have an impact on your professional life, your life insurance premiums, and even your right to vote. Here are some of the ways that your driving record could influence your life in the future.
Your Car Insurance Cost
It should not come as a surprise to anybody that your driving record can directly affect your car insurance premium. If you have multiple tickets and past road law violations, you are probably not getting the best price for car insurance. A serious offense can also pin you as a high-risk driver and you’ll see your quotes rise by up a massive 300%. If you want to know what information insurers have on you when you apply for a new car insurance policy, you can use Public Records Reviews to find traffic court records and more about yourself. All you need to do is enter your personal details such as your name and address and you can find anything that is on your public record. Find out more at https://www.publicrecordsreviews.com/traffic-court-records.
Your Credit Rating
There’s a high chance that your credit score will be negatively impacted if you choose not to pay a red light ticket, parking ticket, or other traffic fine. Most jurisdictions will add further fees if you fail to pay a ticket within the given time frame and eventually, they will turn it over to a collections agency. At this point, your credit score will usually take a huge hit and you will likely run into problems if you need to apply for a credit card or loan or rent an apartment.
You Might be Arrested
If you fail to pay a traffic violation fine, once it’s destroyed your credit rating, it could come after you with an arrest warrant. In many jurisdictions, continued failure to pay your ticket or refusal to come to an agreement to make reasonable repayments if you cannot afford to pay the whole amount at once could see you charged with a misdemeanor and a warrant issued for your arrest.
You Could Lose Your Right to Vote
In some serious cases, such as a reckless driving charge or a DUI, it may be classified as a felony if it has led to extremely serious damage or injury, or has caused the death of another. Reckless driving that causes somebody to lose their life can be charged as reckless homicide, and multiple DUI charges can also result in a felony conviction. If you are charged with a second DUI within ten years after the first one in New York, it will be classified as a felony. And, now you are a convicted felon, you may lose a number of rights which vary by state, but commonly include your right to vote, your right to serve on a jury, or your right to receive federal aid for education. As a result of the charge, you may no longer be eligible to work in certain jobs such as the police or fire service and travel to certain foreign countries might also be restricted.
Your Life Insurance Costs
It’s not just auto insurance premiums that may arise if you have a traffic ticket. Your driving record can also be very closely linked to your life insurance premiums and you may end up paying more for your policy if you don’t have a clean driving record. A poor driving record or a DUI can easily mean you can’t get a preferred life insurance tier and see your rates rise by at least a few hundred dollars each year.
You Could Lose Your License
In the case of a reckless driving charge or a DUI, in almost all cases, your driver’s license will be suspended. For the first offense, I would highly recommend consulting first DUI attorneys so you’ll get lighter consequences. It may be suspended for a temporary amount of time, however, if you are a repeat offender, it may be that your license is suspended for life. An unpaid ticket can also result in a license suspension and the DMW will automatically refuse to register your vehicle if you have any unpaid tickets.
You Could Lose Your Job
Finally, any serious driving offense or even a lot of small ones could end up seeing you in the unemployment line. This is especially true if you drive for a living, where a suspended license could be a complete deal-breaker for your employer. Even if your license isn’t suspended, if you drive a company car, insurance costs are likely to rise for your employer which could put your job on the line.
Driving records can have an impact on more aspects of your life than you might realize.
