The Impact Of Speeding Ticket On Your Rates

By Author: Marcus Stalder
Total Articles: 491
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There's no surprise about the fact that drivers with no speeding tickets on their driving records tend to get the most competitive insurance rates from their insurers. Yet, if a driver is unlucky to get a speeding ticket entry to his driving record things change for the worse, as insurance premiums go up by hundreds of dollars and may stay that way for several years depending on the state legislation concerning driving records.

If it's the first speeding ticket

Getting your first speeding ticket doesn't cause the rates to go up automatically. It really depends on the provider and your previous driving experience. If you've stayed with the same provider for a long time and had no claims filed then it's likely that the ticket will be forgiven and your rates will stay the same. However, if you're a new customer and are rather young you are very likely to get your premiums raised right after the first ticket. An insurance industry study suggests that even having one speeding ticket raises the risk of a driver to file a claim by 50%. So if you're already a high risk driver than get ready to pay more right after your ...
... first ticket.

Speeding tickets are not all the same

Any insurance company will first look at the type of ticket you have received before making the decision on your rates. If it's a mild violation then there's a chance for keeping your rates low. Yet, if it's a severe violation then there's virtually no way you can prevent premiums form going up. A severe violation is classified by state laws, yet generally it's viewed as speeding in school and construction zones and exceeding the posted speed limit by more than 15 mph. Depending on how much you have exceeded the speed limit your rates will be set accordingly. And the bad news is that not only car insurance quotes will be affected by reckless driving. Your health and life insurance rates may also go up once you get a speeding ticket because you will automatically be included into the high risk group.

What can be done about it?

There's a perfectly legal way to keep your driving record clean from a speeding ticket. Most states offer traffic school safety courses as means of dismissing the ticket. You will still be required to pay the fine, however. And it's best tine soon after you've received the ticket in order to prevent the car insurance quotes from going sky high. You can also fight the ticket in court if you feel that it was issued by mistake, however it's impossible to forecast the outcome and you will face additional court fees just for filing the case.

Shop around to get better rates

If you've received a ticket and feel that your current provider has set the rates too high you should consider switching companies. There are plenty of insurers out there to get car insurance quotes from and they will compete for every customer, even with a bad driving record. So make sure to shop around in order to get the best rates possible.