Does Your Insurance Go Up After a Speeding Ticket
Without a doubt, getting a speeding ticket is unpleasant and even scary. A person in a uniform with both a badge and a gun pulls you over with flashing lights, then informs you that you committed a traffic violation. Then you’re saddled with not only a costly fine but a threat to your driving record and the amount you pay for your vehicle insurance.
Whether or not your insurance goes up after a speeding ticket depends on a few factors. You will want to maintain a responsible profile in your insurer’s eyes by knowing how to clear your driving record of minor violations. Then you can continue to benefit from reasonable insurance premiums rather than pay astronomical rates in the future.
Insurance Rates and Traffic Violations
Insurers are typically concerned with routine moving violations like speeding that have occurred within the last three to five years. Serious traffic infractions like DUIs may hang on your record a lot longer, sometimes for life, depending on the state. If you’re unable to clear your speeding tickets, you might just have to wait them out. The time period varies by both the insurer and the state.
However, not all violations affect insurance rates. Parking violations generally don’t impact car insurance premiums as long as you pay the ticket on time. Some insurers will even forgive certain first-time citations. For moving violations like speeding, some insurance companies might not hike your rate for one minor speeding ticket, whereas other companies may up your premium by 30%.
Violations due to reckless or dangerous driving, including excessive speeding infractions of more than 25 miles per hour over the speed limit, present an additional challenge to your insurance rates. Convictions can add thousands of dollars to insurance cost over three to five years.
Take Control of Your Driving Record
It’s not necessarily your traffic violations that raise your car insurance rates, it’s the ones that impact your driving record. If you know how to clear your driving record of minor violations or equipment-related citations, you can maintain a responsible profile in your insurer’s eyes and continue to enjoy affordable rates.
Insurance companies don’t get an automatic notification of a speeding ticket impacting your driving record. They usually pull up and check your driving record yearly, so if you can make sure the ticket is removed before that occurs, you might be able to avoid a premium increase.
Don’t wait until it’s too late or days from your court date to get your ducks in a row. Consider all your options for keeping a speeding ticket off your driving record. If you’re not sure what those are, a traffic ticket lawyer can examine your unique circumstances and recommend a course of action. A lawyer can give you advice on delays, deferral, and mitigation. An attorney can also advocate for you in court. In the event that you are convicted of the violation, an attorney can work to have the violation expunged. Schedule a consult with a traffic ticket attorney today.