The problem with automobile insurance rate increase is that it is going to take time to bring it down when you see a rise. Whatever caused the increase will probably affect the rates for the next three years. So, it is important to resist against rate increases by eliminating the reason for it or fight harder with your provider to minimize the jump.
The premium can even double depending on the underlying reason for insurers wanting more money. If you were involved in an accident that was your fault you should not be surprised to see substantial jump in rates. The easiest solution would be to avoid accidents but this is not always possible.
Still, from the unfortunate moment of having an accident you can start managing the situation better. First thing you will try to manage is that you do not get blamed when you did not cause the crash. Do your best to present the facts as clear as possible so that third parties cannot consider you as a pushover and ask your insurer pay for their losses. There are many stupid people out there that will try to blame you even though they rammed your car from behind.
Another option can be not to make a claim especially if the damages are negligible and no other cars are involved. For example, if you crashed on to a three or scratched the car in your garage you may decide to get it repaired without bothering with making a claim. Even you damaged third party properties you may offer them quick cash settlement if they agree not to make a claim on your policy.
Another area to be careful is the traffic tickets and penalties you may receive. This becomes quite important problem in the world of traffic cameras and keen local authorities who like to supplement their budget with fines charged to motorists. Those fines can be a real problem with point deductions on your licence which in turn will increase your auto insurance rates.
Vehicle insurance companies take a few factors into account when they decide about the risk level a policyholder carries. Each accident and traffic tickets will change the score and the premium charged. Therefore, you may want to resist against the increases you will face in several ways.
The first one would be to take it up with the fine issuing authority. When fines are sent drivers have a period of time to challenge the fine. Even though you may need to spend some money to defend against a fine, it may be worthwhile in the long run. Quite a few people successfully defend against these fines. Sometimes, just making an appearance in the court may be enough.
Even though you may accept the fault and apologize for it the court may let you off with a lessor fine or just fine without a point deduction. This is something worth keeping in mind. Otherwise, you may actually lose your license when you end up getting a few of them in a short space of time.
The next option would be to negotiate or argue with the insurer that you are still a good driver and the increase should be kept minimal. This point is agreed by many companies when they are dealing with a long standing customer. The bottom line is that they would want to charge you as much as they can get away with.
However, if they realize that you will not accept it easily and possibly leave for a cheaper insurer, they will rather earn a bit less than lose you to a competitor. Should they not agree to bring the cost down, you should feel free to walk away.
In any case, you should get several car insurance quotes before taking a renewal term regardless of an increase in the rate or not. A lot changes in a year in the market and within the individual firms.