Summer long weekends are normally a time you want to remember, because Canadian summers are short and long weekends infrequent. Nevertheless, you don't want to remember it for all the wrong reasons; namely getting a ticket, or worse being involved in a fender-bender.

So this long weekend take care when getting to where you want to go. After all, many Canadians will be on the road as a lot of Albertans have August 4^th off for Heritage Day, Ontarians have the Civic Holiday, and Nova Scotians have Natal Day to name just a few provinces celebrating the coming weekend.

What might happen to your insurance rate if you get a ticket this weekend?

Auto insurance quotes from competing insurance companies were obtained July, 2008 from kanetix.ca to illustrate how a ticket (or two) would impact an otherwise clean driving record. Using a 35-year old driver of a 2006 Toyota Corolla in Calgary, Toronto and Halifax, the lowest available online car insurance quote was recorded for each location.

Calgary

• $774 with a clean driving record
• $898 with 1 minor ticket (like speeding up to 45 km/h over limit)
• $898 with 2 minor tickets (like speeding up to 45 km/h over limit)

Toronto

• $1191 with a clean driving record
• $1271 with 1 minor ticket (like speeding up to 45 km/h over limit)
• $1314 with 2 minor tickets (like speeding up to 45 km/h over limit)

Halifax

• $682 with a clean driving record
• $797 with 1 minor ticket (like speeding up to 45 km/h over limit)
• $947 with 2 minor tickets (like speeding up to 45 km/h over limit)

In each city, the car insurance quote a driver would receive after getting a ticket increased on average around $106 (the range was $80 to $124.) Already have a ticket on your driving record? Well, in this case depending on where you live you might see no impact on your quote (Calgary), or you might see an increase of $150 (Halifax).

What might happen to your insurance rate if you're in a fender-bender?

Using the same driver and car, online auto insurance quotes were obtained to show how an accident - an at-fault and a not-at-fault - might affect your quotes.

Calgary

• $774 with a clean driving record
• $774 with 1 not-at-fault ticket (You were hit from behind)
• $2070 with 1 at-fault ticket (You struck an object or vehicle)

Toronto

• $1191 with a clean driving record
• $1191 with 1 not-at-fault ticket (You were hit from behind)
• $2004 with 1 at-fault ticket (You struck an object or vehicle)

Halifax

• $682 with a clean driving record
• $682 with 1 not-at-fault ticket (You were hit from behind)
• $1781 with 1 at-fault ticket (You struck an object or vehicle)

Often there is skepticism about not-at-fault accidents and whether or not they'll affect your rate. Online quotes through kanetix.ca show that in fact, if you are involved in an accident where you are not-at-fault, your online car insurance quotes will not be higher than if you had a clean driving record.

An at-fault accident, of course, is a different story. In each province an at-fault accident increased the rates quoted, and by no insignificant amount.

What's it all mean?

Whether you've got the weekend off, or are making your own long weekend, take care in how you arrive at your destination. You don't want to have to be paying for your weekend later when you get your auto insurance renewal.

Regardless of whether you have spotless driving record, a ticket or two, or even an accident, you just might find you could be paying less for your auto insurance coverage. Compare online auto insurance quotes from competing insurers