The final group that uses the information on your driving record is your auto insurance company. Auto insurance companies review your Illinois driving record as part of their underwriting procedure to decide if they want to offer you a policy and to determine your rates if they do offer you a policy. In most cases, they will also look at your driving record prior to renewing an existing policy. What does this mean to you?  If you get a ticket or have an accident that appears on your driving record, expect your insurance rates to increase significantly when your policy renews. If you have a lot of tickets and accidents, be aware that it may be harder for you to find new insurance coverage. Insurance rates are based on the risk that you represent to the insurance company. The idea behind increasing rates for drivers with violations is that they are more likely to get in an accident than drivers with perfect records are. So, it's only fair to charge more to drivers who are more likely to crash.