How Will a Traffic Ticket Affect my Insurance Rates?

Getting pulled over on the highway is a quick way to punish your bank account. Even after dealing with expensive fines and court fees, traffic law violators often worry about seeing their insurance premiums spike after getting a ticket. Here’s what you can expect insurance-wise if you get written up for speeding or other traffic violations:

If you’re caught flying down the freeway

Every car insurance company has different rules and regulations when it comes to raising rates after a speeding ticket, but it generally depends on the amount of risk a driver consistently demonstrates on his record. For example, a first-time offender caught going 5-10 mph over the posted limit may receive a warning before any changes are made to his or her premiums, while repeat offenders caught speeding 15 mph or more over the limit may see their rates spike instantly without warning. If you’ve recently gotten a speeding ticket and aren’t sure if it has affected your insurance rates, contact your licensed agent.

If you double parked

Typically, insurance companies predict your risk by evaluating your history of moving violations on your driving record. Since parking tickets are “nonmoving” violations, they are typically not recorded in your driving record, and they do not directly affect your insurance rates in the same way a speeding ticket or other violation does.

However, drivers who ignore piles of parking tickets in their glove boxes could face very expensive consequences: In addition to hefty fines, failure to clear up these violations could result in the suspension of your license and even possible jail time. A license suspension will certainly show up on your driving record and would likely result in higher insurance premiums.

Other violations

If you’re pulled over for dangerous driving, you can likely expect big penalties from law enforcement in the form of points off your license, plus major adjustments in your insurance policy (read: sky-high premiums) in order to account for your higher risk of accidents. Driving while impaired, reckless driving, aggressive driving and committing a hit and run are all major marks on your record that will almost certainly give your insurance rates an unwanted boost.

The best practice to help prevent your insurance rates from becoming highway robbery is to simply slow down and obey traffic laws. The safer you are behind the wheel – and the fewer encounters you have with law enforcement – the easier you are to insure and the lower your car insurance premium is likely to be.

Source: AutoInsurance