I am helping my mother who lives here in California get auto insurance, I was wondering if you can tell me the criteria to be considered a bad driver by an auto insurance company.  She was told she is an assigned risk driver, what ever that means.

Senai S.

Bakersfield, CA

There are many criteria or factors that can be used by an auto insurance provider to make comparisons between a good and a bad driver. Undoubtedly, the most important factor would be your driving records and history,especially within the past two or three years. Here are a list of reasons why an auto insurance provider might consider you as a bad or high-risk driver.

” Driving Under The Influence (DUI or DWI) arrests and convictions there in California.
” History of license getting suspended, or having been ordered by court to attend mandatory driving classes due to driving violations.
” Unpaid speeding tickets, fines and court costs, or running a red light.
” Moving violations such as not wearing seat belts, not operating child safety restraints etc.
” Involvement in auto accidents, especially if you are at-fault.
” Senior age and teenagers. Although they may not necessarily bad drivers, these age groups have the highest risk of getting involved in car accidents.
” Frequent filing of auto insurance claims may be seen as an indicator that an individual maybe getting involved or is too exposed to car accidents.

Your mother’s credit history may also be used as a “reference” up to an extent. When one gets an auto insurance policy, you are basically assessed as to how much risk you represent to the company. It would be very important to take note if any one of the factors listed above would apply to her when you are on the look out for an auto insurance provider.