There are some monthly expenses that are unescapable. Automobile insurance is one of them. While you may not be able to avoid the payments, you can take steps to reduce the risk of potential claims and resulting premium increases.

Some solutions seem a little too easy. One way to reduce the likelihood of a serious incident, is to every month perform a routine inspection of your car. Walk around the car and check the tires to be sure they are properly inflated and not worn. There are relatively inexpensive gauges to perform both of these functions accurately. During your inspection you should also check your car’s oil, windshield washer, and transmission fluid levels. Your owner’s manual should clearly illustrate where each of these indicators are under the hood. Further, make sure that your brake, headlights, and turn signals are working properly. Weigh the cost of a lightbulb against being late for work when you get pulled over and ticketed for an infraction.

Once you know that all of your signals are working, use them. Use turn signals, even in parking lots, to notify other drivers and pedestrians of your intentions. Every one is on notice and can watch out for one another. Being in the turn lane is not enough notice to other drivers. Many people do not drive safely and using your turn signal is a clear indication that you intend to turn or change lanes. When you have completed your maneuver, ensure that the signal has turned off. Driving around with your turn signal on destroys clarity with other drivers.

Be sure to use your headlights. Turn your headlights on at dawn and dusk, and during adverse weather conditions, even if you have daytime running lights. Daytime running lights do not illuminate any of the lights on the back of your car. If the sun is not shining brightly another driver may not see you until it is too late. You want to give other drivers every opportunity to see and avoid you.

Third, if u-turns are illegal, do not perform them. Other drivers are not expecting that movement in that area. They will need to take different corrective action in response to your illegal one. Intersections where u-turns are banned may be smaller or otherwise different from most intersections. This means that rather than just spinning your vehicle are to the opposite direction you may have to brake to avoid an impediment, back up, and complete your turn. This seriously disrupts traffic and greatly increases the likelihood of an accident. You are more likely to avoid a ticket and an accident by turning around in the nearest parking lot or driving around the block.

Next, do not change lanes when approaching a red light. Your fellow travelers, like you, have begun to break at a reasonable rate to avoid hitting the car in front of them. If you merge into their safe-braking distance, you are more likely to cause a fender-bender. These accidents can result in property damage and time misspent with police and insurance adjusters. They can also lead to bodily injury. It is far easier to wait until the light turns green to engage your turn signal and make the lane change once you have cleared the intersection and there is room. The same is true if a lane is ending. Do not wait until the last second to merge over into the proper driving lane before yours disappears. Know your routes so you can change lanes well in advance to avoid the whole scenario.
Finally, do not park in no parking zones. Often, particularly around corners, this designation exists to help other drivers see when approaching the intersection. If drivers cannot see around your illegally parked vehicle, they are at risk when they try to enter the intersection. Parking in banned areas in parking lots, particularly fire lanes, is dangerous too. Aside from the obvious need if a fire should arise while you are in shopping, there is also hidden danger. Other shoppers, including small children, are going to have to move around your vehicle to get from the store to their own car. This puts both them and other drivers in danger. Plus, your car can get towed and the charges to retrieve it can run into hundreds of dollars. Again, avoid the possibility and find a duly marked parking space.

Even the smallest cars have blind spots. Blind spots occur when there is a space that your vehicle’s mirrors cannot see. Do not rely on your peripheral vision. Turn your head before you change lanes to verify that there are no cars in the space your are trying to merge into. Be sure you keep your arms firmly on the wheel and do not turn it when you turn your head. It takes a split second to check your blind spots and can save you untold amounts of money when you avoid side-swiping another driver.

Bear in mind that your vehicle can be a useful tool or a one-plus ton weapon. Courtesy toward other drivers will not only reduce the likelihood of an accident, but also of a citation. Both of which will cost you money when it comes time to renew your auto insurance.