9 Tips for Cleaning Up Your Driving History (and Saving on Insurance)

You might get sticker shock the next time you renew your car insurance. Rates have been rising, and it's likely you will pay even higher costs if your driving record is not clean.

Your first reaction to high prices might be to start looking around to see if you can save on car insurance. And while that is always a good idea, there are other steps you can take that also might lower your costs.

Here are some ways to clean up your driving record and keep it clean so you can save money.

A moving violation can cause your insurance rate to jump. One way to possibly bring those costs down is to check with your insurance company and see if it will offer you a discount if you enroll in a defensive-driving course.

Even if the insurer doesn't offer such price breaks, completing a defensive driving course could help you remove points from your license that lead to higher insurance rates. Check with your state department of motor vehicles to see if this is an option for you.

If you can't figure out why your insurance rate rose suddenly, it's possible that your insurer's records contain an error in regard to your driving history.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau suggests checking with Drivers History, a subsidiary of TransUnion. You can request a copy of your specialty insurance report there and look for errors that you can then dispute.

If you feel you were wrongly issued a ticket, contest it.

Check with your local government about the process for contesting a ticket. You might hire an attorney or take your case directly before a judge in an attempt to get the ticket overturned.

Tickets can be issued for mechanical violations such as a broken headlight, damaged license plate, or cracked windshield.

If you receive such a ticket, you might be able to have it expunged from your record once you fix the mechanical problem. Check with your local department of motor vehicles about how to get the ticket removed from your record with proof of repair or other documentation.

Some violations might be automatically expunged from your record after a period. However, you might also be allowed to file for a manual expungement that will get the incident off your record promptly.

Just be aware that in some places, you might have to pay a fee for a manual expungement.

It also might be possible to ask for a deferment in having a violation added to your record.

A deferment could allow you to delay having the ticket added to your record, allowing you to meet certain requirements — such as not getting any more violations — that could result in the violation never appearing on your record.

As with a manual expungement, you might have to pay a fee for this service.

If you stop speeding — or never start — you can keep your driving record in better shape.

If you have racked up speeding tickets in the past that have caused some black marks on your driving record, one of the best ways to turn things around is to stop speeding.

That way, you won't cause additional blemishes to your record, and your record will become cleaner over time.

Driving without a license is illegal in every state. If you do not have a valid license, don't even think about operating a vehicle. If you are caught, this is sure to make your driving record less pristine.

If you have a driver's license but simply forgot to take it with you when driving, the state is likely to be more lenient. But try to avoid doing this.

Distracted driving is a major factor in crashes. Plenty of states also have laws against distracted driving, such as ticketing drivers who text while operating a vehicle.

Be mindful of putting your smartphone away when you are driving. Keep your hands on the wheel and your mind on the road.

Reducing distractions can also reduce violations and accidents, which can help keep your car insurance rate lower. That way, you can keep more cash in your wallet.

If your driving history is less than pristine, there are ways you can clean it up and possibly save a little money.

So, if you are trying to better manage your money, take one or more of the steps on this list and see if it results in a cleaner driving record and lower car insurance costs.

Fix any issues with your vehicle that could result in a ticket and be proactive about driving more carefully in the future.