Anyone can experience an accident, but it becomes challenging to debate whether you can get good drivers. Good driving involves more than avoiding collisions. In particular, a driver with a good record will always pay attention to their surrounding environment, watch the speed limit and obey the law. However, if you have to achieve that, this guide provides the violations that can ruin your record and how you can benefit from having a clean driving record.
What does a clean driving record involve?
Your driving record might include the following aspects:
- Defensive driving classes taken
- Moving violation fines, suspensions, and convictions
- Traffic accidents
- License points
- Citations and fees owned
- License endorsements and classifications
- Driving license status
Your driving history will not include information regarding non-driving and non-moving violations. However, it might include repeated traffic violations, a history of substance abuse while driving, unpaid fines, and failure to appear in court.
Types of driving violations included in your driving record
If you wish to maintain a clean driving record, you should follow your state’s traffic laws. Admittedly, if the traffic police officers prove that you broke the required traffic laws and the jury convicts you, that will be included in your driving history. The most common driving mistakes include:
- Driving while using a suspended license or without a license
- Committing major violations including reckless driving even if the driver does not cause an accident, a hit and run accident, and driving under the influence of alcohol or harmful drugs
- Committing mechanical violations including obscured or missing license plates, unsecured or dangerous luggage, and a broken taillight/turn signal/brake light
Apart from that, most states have started to impose penalties for drinking or taking snacks while driving or distracted driving. Most importantly, the traffic laws vary from one nation to another and might change at any time. Therefore, drivers have the responsibility of familiarizing themselves with the law.
Benefits of having a clean driving record
Better your overall health
Cautious drivers who try their best to avoid accidents do not suffer from injuries. In reality, most injuries sustained during accidents result in long-term health complications that can limit your lifestyle. Therefore, when you have a clean driving history, you will relieve yourself from unnecessary stress which reckless drivers face due to traffic citations or accidents. Further, a good driver will make ideal decisions when driving on the road because they will have lasting direct consequences on their health.
Avoid financial hits
Having a clean driving record implies that your state has never cited you for violating traffic laws. In most cases, paying for vehicle repairs resulting from an accident and other fees might make you spend a substantial amount of money. However, if you continue to follow the traffic laws as required, you can save a lot of money in the long run.
Improve your job prospects
A clean driving record might appear critical for driving, especially among package and truck drivers. However, it can affect jobs that do not need driving. Since a good driving record highlights different kinds of car-related offenses, including accident and drug-related infractions, most employers consider the driving history of a person as an indicator of how responsible they are in life. Therefore, good driving can affect your job prospects, health, and finances.
Lower vehicle insurance rates
In most cases, insurance firms use the driving history of the application to predict future behavior and determine the driver’s insurance rates. That means if you have a clean driving record, you can end up enjoying significantly lower insurance premiums and rates. You might even receive discounts on your insurance policy for having an extended accident-free record. However, if you have minor driving violations, some insurance firms might overlook them and consider that you have a good record.
