Auto Insurance Cos. and Regulators Warn of Winter Driving Conditions

    RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA, December 21, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- With a huge influx of drivers taking to the roads to get to and from malls for last minute shopping and then on their way to holiday parties as quickly as possible -- not to mention terrible weather conditions in certain parts of the country -- motorists would do well to show extra caution when taking to the roads during this time of year, both for their health and for their insurance premiums. As State Farm noted in a recent advisory, Minnesota's first snowstorm of this year resulted in more than 400 auto accidents.

In light of the heightened risk that comes with holiday traffic and winter weather, regulators and insurance companies are advising drivers to make sure that all of the safety components -- like headlights, windshield wipers, etc. -- are fully functional before heading out.

They are also reminding motorists to, as always, refrain from drinking and driving. Although it may be tempting to take part in holiday parties, getting behind the wheel while intoxicated is at best a sure way to get thrown in to the high risk car insurance pool and is at worst a way to incur and cause serious damage.

According to the statistics, the admonitions to be extra safe during this time of year are not unfounded. The increased traffic and worsened weather conditions that come at the end of December and the beginning of the New Year have historically been some of the most dangerous for drivers. 1975-2002 data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, New Year's, Christmas and the days preceding Christmas are some the deadliest for vehicle occupants.

Source: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/809855.PDF

To learn more about auto insurance issues, readers can go to http://www.onlineautoinsurance.com/learn/high-risk-drivers.htm where visitors will find informative resources pages about finding and evaluating coverage as well as a free-to-use quote-comparison generator that can help jump-start the search for a quality policy.

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