Here is what you need to know to get the best Bakersfield car insurance rates. Before getting a car insurance policy in Bakersfield, you should know why you are getting it.

Bakersfield is the 11th largest city in California and, according to the U.S. Census, it is estimated to be the 57th largest city in the United States. The population has tripled over the last thirty years, bringing the current estimate to over 333,000 people. This fast growth is despite the heavy pollution that plagues this city and, ironically, the fast growth could actually be the cause for the smog.

Industry is a big boom in Bakersfield and there are three freeways that run through the city. Since California is statistically one of the most expensive states for auto insurance, it is important to reduce premiums whenever possible.

Combining Health Insurance with Bakersfield Car Insurance

In 2006, the American Lung Association named the city of Bakersfield the “most ozone polluted city in the nation.” In 2008, the city was rated as the number one unhealthiest city nationwide for women and the 96th unhealthiest city for men by Women’s Health Magazine. While the increased construction in the area is held largely for blame, there is also a high rate of chemical exposure to the high industry in the area. Further health issues for concern are obesity and substance abuse as well as a growing rate of unemployment which contributes to stress and physical illness.

While health insurance is certainly recommended to help ease the burden of financial costs associated with medical fees, it is not grouped with auto insurance. However, Bakersfield auto insurance can frequently get discounted based on other combinations such as multiple vehicle discount or combining homeowners insurance with your auto insurance. You can compare auto insurance quotes online for free with the referenced quote tool.

Reducing Bakersfield Car Insurance by Beating Speed Traps

A speed trap is a strip of road that has been marked with boundaries to measure distance as a means of calculating speed. However, California law prohibits the use of speed traps and unless radar is used on roads and streets that have had a traffic survey conducted in the last five years, there is a good chance that your speeding ticket will be thrown out of court.

Traffic surveys, which are also known as Speed Zone Surveys and Certified Engineering Surveys, are conducted in order to determine a recommended speed limit for a set area. It is based on 85% of typical traffic flow, theorized that 85% of people will drive at or below the maximum speed limit for safety. Traffic surveys are public documents and can be requested to be seen by anyone. Typically, if you are given a speeding ticket you have the right to see the traffic survey as evidence when you go to your hearing. Many times the traffic survey is not brought to court by the traffic officer and you can increase your chances of having your ticket thrown out just by requesting the document. A traffic attorney can advise you of your legal rights.

Traffic surveys are only used to determine a safe speed limit below the 65/55 absolute speed limit, which means they do not apply to highways. On roads where traffic surveys are applicable, a proper speed limit must also be posted. This means that if the traffic survey determines a road safe at 40 miles per hour, than a speed limit sign cannot be posted for 30 miles per hour. A ticket issued under these circumstances would be dismissed.

Bakersfield Car Insurance and Aerial Speed Enforcement

Airplane Surveillance, or Aerial Speed Enforcement, will not affect your auto insurance because California does not permit the use of speed traps. Aerial Speed Enforcement works by having troopers in airplanes or helicopters timing drivers and then radioing troopers on the ground when a speeder gets clocked. This is typically done with stop watches or other timing instruments over a certain stretch of marked road.

When a car enters a zone, the timer is started and when he exits the zone, the timer gets stopped. This time is then calculated against the known distance traveled in order to estimate speed. Since the use of calculating speed based on marked distance is considered to be a speed trap by California law, tickets issued as a direct result of airplane surveillance are not legal and will be promptly dismissed as such.

Any moving violation that gets dismissed in court will not increase your Bakersfield car insurance rates. If you have a moving violation that you don’t think you can beat or you don’t want to go to court to fight it, you may have the option of attending traffic school instead. Some counties in California already accept online traffic school as an official substitute; check with your county for your options. Although traffic school is usually the costlier option, the benefits of attending are that the ticket will not go on your record and that your insurance will not go up.  Since moving violations are very expensive in California, upwards of around $300 and sometimes more, it is best to avoid a ticket altogether.

Traffic laws are created and enforced in order to maintain safety for all drivers and pedestrians on the road. In addition to saving yourself aggravation and costs of a ticket, following the law means doing your part to keep yourself and others safe.

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