Your Job Affects Your Car Insurance Rates

At first, the question of whether your job has an affect on your insurance rates may seem to be an odd one. Actually, there are a number of factors related to your occupation which must be taken into consideration, from the amount of driving you are are expected to do, to how your vocation may influence your attentiveness when driving. In general, business owners pay the highest premiums, while those in the research and scientific fields pay the lowest. As with any statement, there are exceptions to the rule, and your insurance rates will be modified by a number of other factors as well, including your past driving record.

Four important job related factors are:

• Does your job require that you operate your own vehicle?
• Is there a high amount of stress in your vocation?
• How far do you commute each day?
• Does your job require frequent communication, even when driving?

Business owners, and upper level management positions can be distracting. The stress associated with these jobs imply that these people have a lot of issues on their mind. And even though we've all heard the cliché, “I leave my job at the office”, most of us realize that such an absolute is not always possible. As a result, your job has an affect on your auto insurance rates, because the amount of possible work related stress could impair your attention to the act of driving. If you commute long distances, or use your personal vehicle for work-related transportation, then the risk of being involved in an accident is increased. Even if you are an excellent driver, the most time that is spent driving, the greater the chances are that your occupation will put you into situations where an accident cannot be avoided. Many states have passed legislation to prohibit the use of cell phones while driving a motor vehicle, but that has little impact on persons who are expected to be available when a customer or employee call, regardless of what they may be doing.

On the other hand, low stress jobs affect the cost of auto insurance in a positive, or premium reducing, way. These are the people who really are able to leave the workplace and put it out of their mind. And jobs that involve research and investigation, or even product development, often mean that the employee pays a lot of attention to details, not just on the job, but in all facets of their lives, including driving. Often, these careers include various forms of safety training, which makes them aware of the dangers involved, and the precautions that should be taken to avoid them. Having a detail oriented job is often reflected as detail oriented driving skills, and has the benefit of a positive affect on your insurance premiums.

In a sense, your insurance agent is gambling on how well you can be expected to operate a vehicle, react to unexpected situations, and maintain your attentiveness while driving. By looking at the type of occupation you have, they are able to make risk assessments, and modify the rates which are applied to your policy. High risk and distracting careers are more likely to result in distracted, risky drivers, while the less stressful occupations are a lower risk, and can expect lower premiums.