By Chris Caraveo
Twitter: @ChrisCaraveo31

The Independence Day holiday is expected to see nearly 49 million travelers, a 4.1% increase over the past year, according to AAA.

And with the Fourth of July and other holidays known for traveling and drinking, Valley law enforcement agencies are usually cracking down on dangerous driving behaviors in the form of DUI task forces.

For some drivers, they’re slapped with a DUI or a reckless driving violation. For others, they’re cited because they aren’t using their turn signals or are driving too slow or fast — regardless of impairment.

Those drivers who end up having a ticket or citation on their record will end up paying more than just a fine. They’re likely to see an increase on their insurance policy the next time they renew. In the more extreme cases, some people may see their auto insurance rate double.

The Zebra, an auto insurance comparison website, recently researched how much auto insurance costs go up each year depending on which ticket a driver gets in Arizona.

Alyssa Connolly, director of market insights at The Zebra, said the company looked at how 26 different tickets affect an average $1,295 annual premium for Arizona auto insurance.

In some cases, a driver might hand over more money to their auto insurer for the next three years after a ticket is noted on their record. For example, the legal fine for a speeding ticket is about $150 on average. But ticketed drivers are likely to see their car insurance costs rise over $340 per year — for three years — after the violation. So one speeding ticket can cost drivers more than $1,000 in insurance penalties.

“We think people don’t know that a ticket will cost them very much on car insurance — especially that the impact lasts for three years,” Ms. Connolly said. “Many people might know an accident, speeding ticket or DUI could affect their rates, but something like failing to yield or driving too slowly? Those would likely surprise them.”

How much the rate rises depends on the severity of the violation, an auto insurance company’s pricing standards, and differing local insurance risks and regulations.

“All rate increases are due to an increase in filling claims (or more expensive claims),” Ms. Connolly said. “If an insurance company can mathematically justify that a certain behavior is directly associated with higher claims payouts, then that behavior can warrant a certain level of increase.

“Each behavior is examined independent, so yes, a DUI is associated with higher claims, so is more impactful in terms of insurance penalties.”

Insurance companies can still raise rates for people who are charged with a DUI or other driving violation, even if they plead it down, Ms. Connolly added.

 It depends on the insurer and the individual, but insurers want to account for risky behavior, regardless of how a court proceeds with a charge.

Their analysis used a consistent base profile for the insured driver: a 30-year-old single male driving a 2014 Honda Accord EX with a good driving history and coverage limits of $50,000 bodily injury liability per person/$100,000 bodily injury liability per accident/$50,000 property damage liability per accident with a $500 deductible for comprehensive and collision.

The driver’s driving history was changed to include violations in order to obtain rate differences. Some of the more common tickets and how much they’ll raise car insurance rates each year in Arizona are:

Speeding in a school zone: $484/year Driving too slowly: $485/year Driving with an open container: $711/year Failure to stop at a red light: $381/year DUI: $1,684/year

For a DUI ticket, that’s a 130% total insurance rate increase for Arizona drivers. Arizona is an at-fault-based state, so the responsibility for an accident may be assigned to a specific driver. A driver may be responsible for an at-fault accident in Arizona if they:

Failed to exercise a duty of reasonable care; Failed to exercise reasonable care; or Injured someone else or damaged another’s property.

However, while some insurers don’t ding drivers who are not at fault in collisions, others do.

“It may be that those that do ding drivers are still paying out some claims for the incident, and/or that drivers are assumed to be somewhat responsible in a collision, even if not the majority party responsible,” Ms. Connolly said.

Reckless driving in Arizona is not strictly defined. Drivers may be considered to be driving recklessly if they are driving with little concern for the safety of others. Aggressive driving in Arizona is a more severe offense, and occurs when a driver commits two or more of the following violations:

Failure to obey traffic control devices

Overtaking or passing another vehicle on the right by leaving the main traveled portion of the road or driving off the pavement

Unsafe lane changing Following a vehicle too closely

Failing to yield the right-of-way

One of the other striking figures in the study is that refusing to submit to a breathalyser can actually cost a driver in insurance premiums as much as a DUI itself. In Arizona, refusing the test could lead to an average increase of $1,684 on a driver’s auto insurance premium.

“The assumption is likely that a driver is clearly incapacitated, even without a test,” Ms. Connolly said. “The law typically treats refusing a breathalyser/test as the same as a DUI in order to encourage people to take the test, so insurers generally follow that reasoning.”

What surprises Ms. Connolly in the study is that many drivers are also surprised that seemingly harmless behaviors — driving too slowly or failing to yield — can raise car insurance rates.

“But if you’re negligent in basic rules of the road, you might be more likely to get in a car crash or speed, too,” she said.

So what can drivers do to save money if they are facing penalties for violations?

“Insurance is the savings policy!” Ms. Connolly said. “However, if a driver is increasingly risky, the premium they pay for that financial coverage will go up.

“General savings tips, though — besides driving safely — are to compare car insurance quotes and coverage every 6-12 months as rates change constantly," she continued. "Drivers can also consider raising their deductible — increasing from $500-1,000 saves an average of 11% — bundling an auto policy with home or renters — save 5-15% — and ensuring they stay insured — building a history of coverage can lower rates 5% or more every 6 months or year the individual maintains coverage.”

Holiday travel factors could affect driving behaviors

For the record-high 41.4 million people who will travel by vehicle this Independence Day, INRIX, a global mobility analytics company, predicts drivers could face delays as much as four times a normal commute, with Wednesday being the worst day to be on the roads.

In addition to lower gas prices compared with last summer, broader economic fundamentals remain strong. Low unemployment, robust consumer spending, and rising disposable incomes are encouraging more people to invest their money in travel this summer.

“This holiday builds on the strong travel demand seen for Memorial Day,” stated Paula Twidale, vice president of AAA Travel. “And with schools now out of session across the country, families coast to coast are eager to travel.”

In major metros, drivers could face delays as much as four times a normal commute. Nationwide, delays are expected to increase by about 9%. The national average price of gasoline last week was $2.66, which is 19 cents less from the same time in 2018. It is expected to drop even lower into the summer.

AAA says this is also motivating the record numbers of holiday travelers. AAA expects to rescue nearly 367,000 motorists during the Independence Day holiday. Dead batteries, flat tires and lockouts will be the leading reasons AAA members will experience car trouble, a release states.

With all these factors likely to contribute to the presence of driving hazards on the nation’s roads this holiday weekend, is there really a reason to not follow the law and drive smart and safe? Drivers’ wallets will surely thank them later if they avoid tickets and increases on the auto insurance.

The Independence Day holiday period is defined as July 3 to 7, so travelers are already out and about. However, Wednesday was the worst day to travel, AAA says, so the rest of the week might be smooth sailing.

AAA recommends motorists take their vehicles to a trusted repair facility to perform any needed maintenance before heading out on a road trip. Also, before hitting the road, motorists need to be prepared for emergencies by taking along a mobile phone and car charger, a flashlight with extra batteries, a first-aid kit, a basic toolkit, drinking water and snacks for all passengers.

Click here to view The Zebra's full study.

Reporter Chris Caraveo can be reached at 623-876-2531 or ccaraveo@newszap.com.