Car Insurance in Mesquite [Cheap Rates + Best Coverage]

Mesquite is one of the larger cities in Texas. It is known for its rodeos, concerts, and historic parks. In fact, the city’s webpage claims that the Texas governor called Mesquite the “Rodeo Capital of Texas.” If you’re looking for a city that always has something to do, Mesquite might just be the place for you.

However, getting around in Mesquite will require a car. And if you own a car, you’ll need to be properly insured.

Having poor insurance, or not being familiar with Mesquite’s laws could result in a pricy headache later. Luckily, we wrote this guide with the intention of teaching you all about insurance and driving in Mesquite. Keep reading to learn about everything from average insurance costs to local parking laws.

If you would like to start comparing insurance rates today, enter your ZIP code in our free tool above.

The Cost of Car Insurance in Mesquite

Most people don’t realize that they’re overpaying for car insurance. However, there are plenty of ways to cut back on car insurance costs. One of the best ways to determine how you can save is by comparing rates between companies and understanding why you might be charged more or less.

To bring you the best data on car insurance costs in Mesquite, we’ve partnered with Quadrant. We will cover everything that might affect the rates offered to you by car insurance companies, from your gender to your driving record.

Male vs. Female vs. Age

Any parent of a teenager knows how much insurance rates vary based on age. Younger drivers are inexperienced and more prone to accidents, which is why insurers charge less as drivers age over the decades.

How old are most drivers in Mesquite? Data USA found that the average age of residents is 32.8 years old. This means that most drivers are close to paying Mesquite’s average rate for 35-year-old drivers.

The price difference for insurance between 60-year-old drivers and 17-year-old drivers is about $6,000. However, this price difference can vary even more between ages when gender is also taken into account.

While most people aren’t aware that their gender is a factor in insurance costs, most insurers will charge males more than females (they are considered riskier drivers).

• Male average premium in Mesquite: $4,420
• Female average premium in Mesquite: $4,172

When you look at the gender price differences and the age price differences together, the average rates are as follows:

The table above shows that females pay less than males in every age group. However, the price gap is much wider among younger age groups.

For example, while 17-year-old male drivers pay $1,500 more than 17-year-old female drivers, 60-year-old male drivers only pay $150 more than 60-year-old female drivers.

Cheapest ZIP Codes in Mesquite

Did you know that where you live can have a huge impact on your car insurance rates? The following factors are all reasons why an insurer might charge more after a move:

• High crime rate in the area
• High rate of accidents in the area
• High frequency of natural disasters in the area
• Economic upturn/downturn in area

People living in the same city are often charged different rates depending on what part of town they live in. Let’s take a look at the average prices by ZIP code in Mesquite.

Mesquite only has three ZIP codes, which means rates won’t vary drastically if you move around the city. Your gender and age will be more important to an insurer than where you live in Mesquite.

What’s the best car insurance company in Mesquite?

Wondering which company to trust? Insurance companies will all promise that they have the best coverage and rates, but a bit of research may prove otherwise. Keep reading to see which Mesquite companies have the best rates for commute distances, accidents, and more.

Cheapest Car Insurance Rates by Company

The first important set of data we want to look at is which companies have the cheapest rates overall.

Pay careful attention to what a company charges for your demographic. Some companies may be cheaper in general, but charge more for a certain demographic.

For example, Progressive charges less than Nationwide for 25-year-old male drivers, even though Progressive generally costs more.

Best Car Insurance for Commute Rates

Texans and their trucks travel a fair distance every year — the average Texas driver covers 15,533 miles of roadway annually. The result? Most drivers are paying a higher rate for a long commute distance.

Don’t be fooled by the lack of price change at some companies. Sometimes they don’t charge more for a long commute because their rates are already high.

However, there are always exceptions. Allstate has the most expensive rate but still tacks on over $300 for a long commute distance.

Best Car Insurance for Coverage Level Rates

Ever been in an accident? If you didn’t have high coverage at the time, you were probably stuck paying quite a bit out of pocket for damages. However, some companies make it hard for customers to afford their premium coverage levels.

Let’s take a look at which companies have the most affordable upgrades.

It’s not the price increase between levels that matters, but the final price. USAA and State Farm have the cheapest prices for high coverage.

On the other end of the scale are Allstate and American Family, costing roughly $3,000 more than USAA and State Farm for high coverage. So if you find your rates are getting out of hand but don’t want to switch to a lower coverage option, make sure to shop around for providers.

Best Car Insurance for Credit History Rates

Need more motivation to improve your credit score? A good credit score will save you hundreds of dollars (if not thousands) on your car insurance.

Per usual, USAA and State Farm have the cheapest rates for drivers with poor credit scores. However, even at these companies, your rates will increase by $2,000.

So if you’re looking to lower your auto insurance costs, make sure that your credit score isn’t negatively impacting your rates.

Best Car Insurance for Driving Record Rates

Run-ins with other cars or objects, drunk driving, and speeding violations are huge red flags to insurers. They indicate that you may be a reckless driver, and as a result, more likely to file a claim. Thus your car insurance company will charge you a higher rate.

You may have noticed that some of the insurers didn’t raise rates for an accident or speeding violation, such as American Family or Nationwide.

This is because these companies offer programs like accident forgiveness, which give you a break by not raising your rates after your first accident. You should always join these programs if possible, as it will save you a lot of money after an accident.

Car Insurance Factors in Mesquite

We covered a number of factors that influence your rates, but there are a few more to go over. You may remember that we briefly discussed why location impacts your rates (crime, economic conditions, and natural disasters).

In this section, we’ll look closer at the economic factors that influence rates, such as wages and poverty in the city. This will also give you an idea about wages and living costs if you’re new to the Mesquite area.

Median Household Income

First, we want to look at how much the average Mesquite household earns annually. According to Data USA, most households in Mesquite earn an average of $52,167 a year.

This is less than the national household average in the U.S., which is $61,937. This means that the percentage of income going to car insurance is higher for residents of Mesquite.

Since the average cost of car insurance in Mesquite is $6,430 per year, roughly 12 percent of the average Mesquite household’s annual income is spent on car insurance. That’s a significant cost, especially when you factor in the cost of the car, maintenance, and gas as well.

If you want to know what percentage of your income you are spending on car insurance every year, try out our free calculator below.

Homeownership in Mesquite

Did you know that owning your own home could save you money on car insurance? Most insurers offer a discount if you purchase both a home and auto insurance policy from them. This is also convenient for most customers, as it means their major policies will be with one provider.

So how many Mesquite residents own versus rent? According to Data USA, 57.7 percent of Mesquite residents owned homes in 2017. This was a slight increase from 2016 when the number was 57.3 percent.

However, the percentage of homeowners in Mesquite is still lower than the national average for homeownership (63.9 percent). Luckily, the average cost of a home in Mesquite is lower than the national average, which makes it easier to get a home even with a lower-than-average salary.

The average cost of Mesquite homes was $119,000 in 2017, which was less than the 2017 national average ($193,500). So even though Mesquite residents earn less than the U.S. average, it is cheaper to buy a house here.

Education in Mesquite

There are four universities in Mesquite. Below is Data USA’s information on the number of degrees awarded by universities in 2017.

• Eastfield College awarded 1,610 degrees.
• Carrington College-Mesquite awarded 95 degrees.
• HandsOn Therapy awarded 62 degrees.
• National American University-Mesquite awarded 18 degrees.

The largest university, Eastfield College, is a public, two-year community college.

Eastfield College offers degrees and accreditations in everything from accounting to welding technology. There are also online courses, making it possible to earn a degree or accreditation completely on the web.

Wage by Race and Ethnicity in Common Jobs

We know that Mesquite residents’ overall average salary is lower than the national average, but this doesn’t give us a complete picture of earnings in Mesquite.

To create a more detailed picture, we’re going to go through Data USA’s information on wages by race and ethnicity for miscellaneous managers in Texas. We will also include information on how much income is spent on car insurance. So take a look at the table below.

Asians are the highest-paid race/ethnicity in Texas, which means only six percent of an Asian person’s income, on average, is spent on car insurance. However, Native Hawaiians/Other Pacific Islanders, the lowest-paid race/ethnicity, spend an average of 13 percent of their incomes on car insurance.

Wage by Gender in Common Jobs

Another wage demographic we want to look at is gender. Data USA found that in Texas, male employees earn 1.41 times more than female employees.

• The average salary for males in Texas is $64,953.
• The average salary for females in Texas is $45,959.

This nearly $20,000 disparity is a significant salary difference. Let’s take a look at how the gender wage gap impacts employees in common jobs.

Males earn more than females in every job category. The result? Women spend a larger percentage of their income on car insurance.

This means they have less money for other living costs, such as groceries, health insurance, and rent.

Poverty by Age and Gender

Given the differences in salaries between men and women, you probably won’t be surprised to learn that poverty rates are divided down similar lines.

Data USA found that in Mesquite, the genders and ages most afflicted by poverty are:

1. Females ages 25-34
2. Males ages 6-11
3. Females ages 18-24

Males ages six to 11 are second on the list, but females who are at wage-earning age are first and third. Let’s look a little closer at poverty in Mesquite by gender and age.

There are a number of children under age 5 and children 6-11 that are living in poverty in Mesquite. You may have also noticed that after age 18, there are more females than males living in poverty.

This is likely because age 18 is when many teenagers begin to support themselves. Since females earn less than males, they are more likely to fall into poverty around this age or a little older.

Poverty is a fairly significant problem in Mesquite, as 14.3 percent of residents live below the poverty line. This is higher than the national average of 13.1 percent.

Poverty by Race and Ethnicity

Data USA also provides a breakdown of the number of individuals living in poverty by race and ethnicity. Here are the numbers from 2017:

• White: 12,879
• Hispanic: 9,588
• Black: 5,547
• Two or more races: 833
• Other races/ethnicities: 717
• Asian: 312
• Native American: 202

The highest number of people living in poverty are white, while Native Americans make up the smallest population of impoverished people in Mesquite.

Employment by Occupations

We’ve covered wages and poverty, but what kinds of jobs are people working in Mesquite? Data USA found that the three most common occupations in Mesquite are:

1. Office and Administrative Support Occupations (11,830 people)
2. Sales and Related Occupations (6,554 people)
3. Construction and Extraction Occupations (5,895 people)

Mesquite’s local community college offers a number of two-year degrees or accreditations for these occupations, such as welding and management.

Driving in Mesquite

Insurers look at the local driving conditions when determining rates, such as local traffic and frequency of accidents. While you don’t have control over the driving conditions around you, it’s still important for you to be aware of these factors, as this will help you stay safe (and accident-free) on the roads.

This is especially valuable information to have if you’re fairly new to Mesquite, as you may not know your way around yet.

Roads in Mesquite

A city needs to make sure its roads are properly maintained, as well as provide easy access to major routes. We’re going to go through major highways, road trips, and Mesquite’s use of traffic cameras.

Major Highways

The large state of Texas needs numerous roads to connect residents from city to city. With 25 active routes making up 3,501 miles of roadway, Texas has one of the highest numbers of active routes in the U.S.

One of Texas’s major routes runs by Mesquite — I-20. There are also plenty of smaller routes to take, such as US 80 or Tx 352. These routes make it easy to travel to nearby cities or out of the state.

However, you should be prepared to deal with tolls, especially as you are near the Dallas area. Toll roads can be found on the following roads in and around Dallas:

• I-30
• I-635 East
• I-35
• Midtown Express
• DFW Connector

If you want to make the process of going through tolls a little easier, you can purchase a TxTag. Not only do these stickers allow you to go through a cash-less lane, but you also receive the cheapest toll available. So while you’ll have to pay a small fee for the TxTag, it should be worth it if you go through tolls frequently.

They’re fairly easy to set up, as all you have to do is make a prepaid account once you have your TxTag. Tolls will automatically be deducted from your account when you go through toll roads.

Popular Road Trips and Sites

Mesquite has quite a few local attractions, such as the Florence Ranch Homestead (a historic attraction) or the Mesquite Arena, which hosts both rodeos and soccer games.

If you want to explore outside Mesquite, though, you can find plenty to do around Texas.

• Christmas Lights Road Trip — Got the holiday spirit? Take this road trip to discover Texas’s best light displays.
• Haunted Cemetary Road Trip — This trip will take you to haunted cemeteries across Texas.
• Fall Foliage Road Trip — A must-take trip for lovers of fall, this road trip will show you the best foliage displays.
• Small Town Road Trip — Want to visit some quaint small towns? This trip takes you to the best small towns in Texas.

No matter what you’re interests are, you’re bound to find something fun to do in Texas.

Does Mesquite use speeding or red-light cameras?

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) lists Texas as a red-light only state. This means that Texas doesn’t allow the use of speeding cameras. However, the IIHS also says that Texas has banned the use of red-light cameras as of June 2019, so any red-light cameras you see in Mesquite will be inactive.

Only a few communities in Texas are allowed to use red-light cameras until their contracts expire:

• Amarillo
• Balcones Heights
• Humble
• Leon Valley

If you won’t be traveling in any of these communities, you don’t have to worry about red-light cameras in Texas. Of course, there are still officers out on the roads enforcing driving laws, so a lack of cameras isn’t a free pass to roll through red lights.

Not only could you get in an accident, but if your insurer finds out you ran a red light, your premium will go up. Your insurer may even drop you as a client.

So stay safe by stopping at red lights and following the speed limits.

Vehicles in Mesquite

Owning a vehicle in a city, or in any area, requires some knowledge of vehicle risks and potential mishaps. Vehicle owners need to be prepared for breakdowns, accidents, traffic tickets, and more.

However, these problems vary from one part of the country to the next, making it difficult to determine what is the most important category to prepare for. While you should try to be ready for all eventualities, this section will cover the biggest risks of owning a vehicle in Mesquite.

Keep scrolling to learn more.

Cars per Mesquite Household

Data USA found that households in Mesquite own an average of two cars. However, that’s certainly not the case for everyone. Take a look at the numbers below.

• 40.4 percent of Mesquite households own two cars.
• 25.1 percent of Mesquite households own three cars.
• 20 percent of Mesquite households own one car.
• 9.32 percent of Mesquite households own four cars.
• 3.62 percent of Mesquite households own five or more cars.
• 1.47 percent of Mesquite households own zero cars.

Less than 1.5 percent of residents lack a car, which means most residents will be driving to work rather than using public transit.

Mesquite Households Without a Car

If you live in a city or town with decent public transportation options, you can get away with not owning a car. Let’s take a look at how many Mesquite residents didn’t own cars in 2015 and 2016.

The number of households without cars dropped in 2016. So either more Mesquite residents bought cars or new residents with cars moved into the city.

Speed Traps in Mesquite

Do you know where your local speed traps are? While Mesquite isn’t on SpeedTrap.org’s list of the 1o worst cities in Texas for speed traps, this doesn’t mean Mesquite is free of them entirely.

You will likely find speed traps in school zones, busy roads, and highways.

Follow the speed limit. Otherwise, you may end up with a speeding ticket, and in addition to paying off the ticket, your insurer will raise your rates.

Vehicle Theft in Mesquite

In 2018, a report by the FBI listed a total of 824 stolen vehicles in Mesquite. This isn’t that high of a number, but it still isn’t great. Luckily, parking your car in a safe area can help reduce your chances of having your car stolen.

So where should you park your car? Neighborhood Scout says that the safest neighborhood in Mesquite is Lawson Rd/Berry Rd.

Other safe options include:

• Clay Mathis Rd/Eastglen Blvd
• Tripp Rd/N. Galloway Blvd
• Cartwright Rd/Fathon P Lucas Hwy
• Eastglen Blvd/E. Main St
• Silverthorn Dr/Morningside Dr
• N. Town East Blvd/N. Galloway Ave
• Barnes Bridge Rd/Via Del Norte
• New Market Rd/S. Walker St
• Oates Dr/Motley Dr

Living in a safe neighborhood is always a smart choice when possible, as it reduces your risk of being the victim of a crime. However, your chance of being the victim of violent crime in Mesquite is fairly average, a one in 249 chance. This is slightly better than your chance in Texas as a whole, which is a one in 243 chance.

Also, the total number of violent crimes happening in Mesquite isn’t drastically high. Let’s take a look.

While the rates for violent crimes aren’t terribly high, Mesquite has a crime index rating of seven. This rating means Mesquite is only safer than seven percent of all U.S. cities.

Let’s take a look at Mesquite’s annual crime numbers to see why it received such a poor crime index rating.

While Mesquite has a low rate of violent crimes, it does have a high number of property crimes.

Traffic

Any city-dweller knows that urban traffic is no joke. If you don’t plan ahead and allow extra time for, you’ll find yourself late for school, work, and doctors’ appointments.

In addition, city drivers need to be extra alert to the traffic around them to avoid an accident. If you feel unprepared for driving around Mesquite, this section is for you.

We’re going to cover everything from traffic congestion to accidents and repair shops, so keep reading.

Traffic Congestion in Mesquite

Mesquite isn’t on traffic scorecards like Inrix or TomTom, but this doesn’t mean there won’t be traffic in the city. It just means that Mesquite typically doesn’t have horrible traffic that will eat up hours of your day.

Transportation

Whether because of traffic or simply because Mesquite residents don’t live close to their workplaces, the average commute time in Mesquite is 30.6 minutes, according to Data USA. This is higher than the national average commute time of 25.1 minutes.

In addition, an unfortunate 2.28 percent of Mesquite’s population have a super commute of 90+ minutes, meaning they’re spending at least three hours a day in the car. This should put the average commute time of an hour a day into perspective.

Another transportation factor we want to look at is how Mesquite residents get to work. Data USA says the three most common methods in 2017 were:

1. 79.9 percent drove alone.
2. 13 percent carpooled.
3. 3.2 percent used another method.

The remaining percentage is made up of transportation methods like bicycling, walking, or taking a taxi, and those that work from home.

Busiest Highways

The Texas A&M Transportation Institute did a detailed study on the top 100 most congested roadways in Texas. The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington area contains 30 out of these 100.

Roads to watch out for are:

• Woodall Rogers Fwy
• Lyndon B Johnson Fwy
• Stemmons Fwy
• US 75
• US 67
• US 287
• IH 35W
• IH 30
• IH 635

These are just a few of the most congested roads in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington area. Traffic apps can help you plan your route ahead of time so that you don’t get stuck in a line of cars and miss a meeting.

How safe are Mesquite’s streets and roads?

We’ve already covered crime, so when we ask this question we’re actually interested in finding out how many accidents happen on Mesquite’s roads.

To discover the answer, we took a look at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) data on fatalities in Dallas County (which Mesquite is a part of). The first set of data we want to show you is fatalities by all crashes.

The number of fatal crashes in Dallas County hasn’t risen drastically, but it has risen a few times in the past five years. Let’s take a look at what’s causing these fatalities.

In 2018, the leading causes of fatalities were drunk driving, single-vehicle crashes, and roadway departures. Unfortunately, drunk driving fatalities have slowly increased over the years in Dallas County.

Now that we know the causes behind fatal crashes, let’s take a look at what types of people are commonly killed.

Dallas County has seen a rise in pedestrian and pedalcyclist deaths, which isn’t good. Make sure to stay off the more dangerous road types when on foot or bicycle.

According to NHTSA, the most dangerous roads are:

Other roads, minor arterial roads, and collector arterial roads have the highest numbers of fatalities. Wondering what arterial means?

An arterial road is a high traffic road, such as a highway, so a minor arterial road is a busy traffic road a step below a highway. A collector arterial road is a busy road that takes local traffic to arterial or minor arterial roads.

This means that a number of accidents occur on busy roads. After all, you can’t control the drivers around you. Also, you should also use caution around railroads, as trains can’t slam on the brakes to avoid crashing into you.

According to the US Department of Transportation (US DOT), the most dangerous highways and railroad intersections are:

While there have been a number of railroad and highway crashes in Dallas County, only two have occurred directly in Mesquite.

Allstate America’s Best Drivers Report

Every year, Allstate uses claims and safe driving data to formulate a comprehensive report on the 200 largest cities’ drivers. Let’s see where Mesquite ranked in Allstate’s 2019 report.

While Mesquite ranks near the bottom of the 200 cities, at least it moved up 10 places from 2018 to 2019. Still, only an average of 7.64 years pass between collisions for Mesquite drivers, compared to a national average of 10.57 years.

Ridesharing

One of the perks of living in a city is that there are always rideshare options available. Here are the rideshare companies operating in Mesquite:

• Taxi — You can take a traditional taxi in Mesquite for a relatively low cost.
• Lyft — A ride from a Lyft driver will cost you a little less than a taxi.
• Uber — Uber is also available in Mesquite and the cost is roughly the same as a Lyft.
• Lyft Premier — For about $10 more per ride, you can get a luxury car from Lyft instead of a standard sedan.
• Uber Select — This is the luxury version of Uber; it will also cost you about $10 more than the standard car.

To get a rough estimate of prices from different rideshare programs, enter your planned route into RideGuru and they will break down your options.

E-Star^® Repair Shops

Do you have your favorite repair shop’s number taped up on your fridge? If not, you may want to take a look at Esurance’s E-Star^® repair shops. Esurance only gives their stamp of approval to the shops with the best quality of work and the best customer service.

Below is a list of 10 E-Star^® shops in and around Mesquite.

Service King’s shops appear on the list multiple times, which means this repair provider is probably a safe bet no matter where you are.

Weather

Wondering what types of clothes you need to pack for Mesquite? Below are the average weather lows and highs for the city.

Mesquite gets hot in the summer, placing people and animals at risk of heatstroke. In fact, there have been a total of four natural disaster fires in Dallas County. The other natural disasters that have occurred in the county (totaling 19) are as follows:

• Storms
• Hurricanes
• Floods
• Tornados
• Fires
• Winds
• Flash Floods
• Winter Storms

Dallas County has had more natural disasters than the U.S. average (13).

Because the number of natural disasters in Dallas County is relatively high, you may want to consider buying comprehensive coverage for your car.

Comprehensive coverage will pay for damages from natural disasters, such as floods or fires. It will also cover you in case of animal collisions, theft, and vandalism.

Public Transit

Wondering what public transit you can take in Mesquite? Currently, Mesquite is not served by DART, the public transportation service found in most of Dallas County.

Instead, Mesquite has a bus system called STAR Transit. The fares to ride STAR are as follows:

• $1 for bus routes
• Free for seniors 60+, veterans, and disabled riders

However, dial-a-ride fares for STAR will cost more.

Mesquite doesn’t currently have a paratransit system in place specifically for disabled riders.

Alternate Transportation

Mesquite has bike-share programs like VBikes, where the cost to ride is $2 per hour or $14.95 a month for unlimited hour rides. You will need to download the app on your phone to unlock a bike.

These bikes are a great way to get around town and get exercise, but Mesquite has had issues with them cluttering up its streets.

The city says these bikes “are being left in random places, cluttering sidewalks and creating public safety risks.” Officials request that if residents see a bike from a rideshare company that needs picked up, to check www.cityofmesquite.com/BikeShare for information on how to contact the companies.

So if you choose to borrow a bike, please make sure to return it where it belongs or at least leave it where it will not obstruct the flow of traffic in the street or sidewalk.

Parking in Metro Areas

Mesquite has street parking, but you will have to pay for it in some of the busier downtown areas. Street parking is also time-limited, so you can’t park your car all day in one spot. These time-limits are in place to encourage parking turnover.

If you need to park longer than an hour or two, then you may want to visit a parking garage or lot that allows you to park longer or even overnight.

There will also be satellite parking available at local airports, colleges, and hotels.

If you need to park and charge, there are 47 total electric vehicle charging stations in Mesquite, 11 of which are free. Almost 90 percent of these stations are level two stations, while the remaining 10 percent are level three.

Air Quality in Mesquite

Did you know that vehicles are one of the leading sources of pollutants? While we’ve gotten a lot better at regulating vehicle emissions, they still affect the environment.

And unfortunately, poor air quality has a negative impact on our health, especially those of us with breathing issues or severe allergies.

Let’s take a look at the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) data on Mesquite’s air quality.

The air in Dallas County (where Mesquite is located) got slightly worse from 2016 to 2018. The number of days unhealthy for sensitive groups went from three days in 2016 to 16 days in 2018. In addition, there were three days in 2018 that were unhealthy for all residents.

Based on these results, Dallas County needs to keep a careful eye on its air quality to make sure it doesn’t continue to decline. Even a slight decrease in air quality can be harmful to some people.

Military and Veterans

Often, active duty military and veterans are eligible for discounts on car insurance. However, it can be hard to find an insurer that offers a discount and also has good rates. To help you on your search, we’ll tell you about which companies offer military discounts.

We’ll also go over military bases and veterans in Mesquite to give you an idea of what this city’s military culture is like.

Veterans by Service Period

Data USA found that in 2017, the following number of military veterans were residing in Mesquite:

• 2,012 Vietnam veterans.
• 1,277 Gulf War (2001-) veterans.
• 1,100 Gulf War (1990s) veterans.
• 396 Korean War veterans.
• 163 World War II veterans.

The total number of veterans living in Mesquite is rather low compared to other cities. There are only 2,012 Vietnam veterans in the city, even though Mesquite is one of the larger cities in Texas.

Military Bases Within an Hour

There are no military bases within an hour of Mesquite, although there is one base about an hour and a half away: The Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in Fort Worth.

This station has over 11,o00 employees, but there are probably not a lot of Mesquite residents commuting to work there.

Military Discounts by Providers

A number of Texas providers have military discounts for customers. Take a look at the table below to see if your insurer is one of them.

*USAA also has a military garaging discount.

How much you save varies from provider to provider, but remember to take into consideration the overall cost of an insurer. Switching to a company with a military discount won’t be worth it if the rates are higher than the ones offered by your current company.

USAA

We’ve mentioned USAA a few times already, as it is one of the more economical providers in Texas. However, USAA is only for military members and veterans, which makes State Farm the next most economical choice for customers.

To see how cheap USAA is compared to other Texas providers, take a look at the table below.

USAA’s average rate is well below the Texas average, while Allstate is well above it. These price differences reinforce how important it is to shop around for rates.

Unique City Laws

Are you aware of all of Mesquite’s unique driving and parking laws? Even if you’ve lived in the city your whole life, there are always obscure laws you might not be aware of until law enforcement issues you a ticket.

So to make sure you’re not accidentally doing something illegal, keep reading to learn about cellphone use laws, food truck laws, and more.

Hands-Free Law

Mesquite doesn’t have any additional laws in place on cellphone use in cars, which means you will follow the state of Texas’ laws about cellphones and driving. These laws are as follows:

• Texting Ban — All drivers are prohibited from texting while operating a motor vehicle.
• Hand-Held Ban — A hand-held phone ban is in place for all drivers in school zones during reduced speed hours.
• All-Cellphone Use Ban — Drivers under 18 are prohibited from using a cellphone in any capacity.

Texas has primary enforcement for its cellphone laws, so officers can pull over and ticket drivers just for breaking the cellphone laws. If you’ve gotten a ticket for texting, just remember when paying the bill that these laws are important. People are killed every year from distracted driving caused by cellphone use.

If a driver causes an accident that results in the death of another person, that driver may face vehicular homicide charges. So the price of a ticket for texting is much better than a second-degree felony charge, jail time, and fines.

Food Truck Laws

The City of Mesquite follows Texas’ general laws on mobile food trucks. Owners must have a license to operate and pass health inspections.

These inspections make sure that food trucks are equipped with proper safety equipment and are following health regulations when preparing food.

There are fees for these licenses and inspections, but they shouldn’t be more than a few hundred dollars. Make sure to follow all the proper protocol set by Mesquite, as the last thing you want is to be shut down.

Once you’re properly licensed and ready to operate, make sure you set up your food truck in the proper zones and follow parking laws (such as not blocking a fire hydrant).

Tiny Home Laws

If you want a tiny home in Mesquite, you will have to follow their zoning ordinances and building requirements. Generally, tiny homes are counted as mobile homes under the law.

This means you’ll have to set up your tiny home in an approved area and have it hooked up properly to water, sewage, and more.

If you follow Mesquite’s requirements, though, you should have no issues with downsizing to a tinier home.

Parking Laws

In any city, it is illegal to parallel park facing the wrong way. This means that the passenger side of your vehicle must always be curbside. If officers see your car faced the other way, they will issue you a ticket.

Why? Because if the passenger side of your car is facing the street in a parallel parking spot, it means you pulled into oncoming traffic to park. This is dangerous for both you and others driving down the street.

However, people still do this in order to grab a parking spot without turning around.

If you want to make sure you’ll have a parking spot, consider reserving a spot at a local garage or lot.

Mesquite City Car Insurance FAQs

We’ve covered a lot of ground in this post, but there are still a few questions we want to answer. To make sure we’ve covered everything in this guide, we’re going to go through questions that are frequently asked about Mesquite. So stick with us to see if there’s a question you hadn’t thought of before.

What happens if I get into a car accident in Mesquite?

If you caused the accident, then you are responsible for the other driver’s medical bills and property damage costs. If the other driver caused the accident, then that driver’s insurer will cover you.

Why?

Texas is an at-fault state, which means responsibility is assigned to the driver who caused the accident.

What’s the weather like in Mesquite?

You can expect a number of hot, sunny days. The average snowfall is only one inch a year, so you won’t have to deal with snow tires and puffy winter jackets.

Is Mesquite safe?

Mesquite has a crime index rating of seven, so it’s only safer than seven percent of U.S. cities. Mesquite’s violent crime rates aren’t bad, but property theft is fairly common.

What county is Mesquite in?

Mesquite is part of Dallas County, one of the largest counties in Texas and home to the city of Dallas.

What school district is Mesquite in?

The district is called the Mesquite Independent School District. There are also a few private schools in and around Mesquite.

We hope this guide answered all your questions and you’re ready to drive around the streets of Mesquite. If you would like to start comparing car insurance rates today, enter your ZIP code in our free tool below.