Want to Help Keep Your Insurance Costs Down? Start With the Basics
The best way to help keep your auto insurance costs down is to avoid the things adding up to them: tickets and at-fault collisions. In Alberta, your driving record matters. At-fault claims can affect your premium for up to 6 years and traffic convictions for up to 3 years (4 for Criminal Code convictions). Five everyday habits protecting you on the road and your record are: staying focused, following speed limits, leaving enough space, signaling your turns and driving defensively.
Why Your Driving Habits Matter for Your Premium
Your insurance rate is built from several factors and your driving record is one you can influence. Fewer tickets and collisions mean a cleaner record and a clean record is part of what qualifies Albertans for good driver protections, limiting how much a qualifying driver’s premium can rise year over year.
The good news: the habits keeping your record clean are the same ones keeping you safe.
- Stay Focused
Phones, snacks and daydreams all cost you attention. Distracted driving is a leading cause of collisions and distracted driving convictions are among the offences which count as major convictions. Put the phone away before you put the car in drive.
- Follow Speed Limits
Speeding gives you less time to react and makes any crash worse. It’s also one of the most common ways drivers pick up a conviction. Keep in mind: speeding in a school or playground zone is always classified as a major conviction, no matter how far over the limit you are.
- Leave Enough Space
A good following distance (about 2 seconds in good conditions, more in rain or snow) is protection against rear-end collisions, which are among the most common. Extra space gives you time to brake.
- Signal Your Turns
Signaling tells everyone around you what you’re about to do. It’s also a small habit which keeps you out of avoidable close calls and failing to signal is itself a traffic offence.
- Drive Defensively
Assume other drivers might not see you, scan ahead and adjust for weather and traffic. Defensive driving means you avoid the collisions which might happen even when you did nothing wrong.
Summing it up
You can’t control every factor in your insurance rate, but you can control how you drive. Five simple habits, practised every trip, are the most reliable way to protect your safety, your record and your wallet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my driving record affect my auto insurance in Alberta? Yes. Traffic convictions and at-fault claims can affect your premium, though only for a limited time under AIRB rules.
How long do tickets and at-fault claims affect my premium? At-fault claims: up to 6 years. Minor and major traffic convictions: up to 3 years. Criminal Code convictions: up to 4 years.
What’s the easiest habit to start with? Following distance. It costs nothing and helps prevent one of the most common collision types.