Credit reports are increasingly utilized by people across the country in determining their credit score. Times are tough and we’re all trying to save money in anyway that we can. But like death and taxes, car Insurance is a must and often a costly must. But there are ways to save money on your car insurance.

Driving safely is the obvious way to bring down insurance rates, but are you also paying attention to your credit report? Discover the lesser-known factors that can influence your car insurance rates, from marital status to the score on your credit report.

Credit Reports

Your credit report can be used by car insurance companies to use your credit history to drive up your insurance costs. Forty six allow car insurance companies to use your credit report to increase your rates. California, Massachusetts, Hawaii and Maryland are the states not allowing this method to be employed.

Your credit score also matters if you are planning to do credit card consolidation. This can improve your credit score when you pay off your debts (debt consolidation makes it easier to do this), which will in turn lower your car insurance rates.

Driving History

Perhaps the most obvious, car insurance companies usually use your previous driving record to determine your new rate by using a point system. How long points remain on your driving record are determined by where you live and the actual infraction, but any tickets, accidents an parking violations always make your car insurances rates rise.

Age, Gender and Marital Status

Factors such as age, gender and marital status usually help determine your car insurance rates. New drivers are always viewed as higher risks when insuring and married women typically have the lowest rates, while unmarried men pay the highest car insurance rates.

This is a guest post by Murray Newlands. Murray and his company Influence People do blogger outreach and online marketing for a variety of clients.