Will my car insurance rates go up after one ticket?

Even good drivers make mistakes but many car insurance companies never give a break when it comes to even a single ticket.

First understand that parking tickets do not affect car insurance rates but any conviction of a moving violation can have serious consequences on your car insurance rates. Some car insurers offer a one time waiver for good drivers but many more simply raise your premiums.

Car insurance is based on risk and anytime you participate in a high risk driving activity that corresponds to risk studies showing drivers have a greater chance of filing a future claim auto insurers will adjust for that risk. The good news is not all auto insurers use the same risk model so there are companies who look past a single moving violation but the majority will penalize.

How much will car insurance increase after a speeding ticket?

Speeding tickets are not the only type of tickets which can affect your car insurance rates. Any type of moving violation such as:

• Running a Red Light
• Failure to stop for a school bus
• Running a Stop Sign
• Reckless Driving

Even not wearing you seatbelt or driving a car with no insurance are considered moving violations and can possibly hurt your rates. The amount of your premium increase will depend on your unique policy but why policyholders often see a huge increase is simply because of the removal of the good driver discount. As a preferred driver its common to save 10, 20% or more on standard premiums however once a conviction is noticed by the car insurance company then you automatically go back to standard premiums + any adjustments for risk. Some drivers have reported a 50% increase to car insurance rates after a single speeding ticket.

How can I avoid any potential car insurance increase?

Sometimes a minor violation like speeding just a few miles over the speed limit may not affect your car insurance rates but you always want to avoid having any ticket on your driving record. Depending on the state you may have reduced fines for quick payment, traffic school options or other alternatives to minimize the reporting of a ticket on your traffic record. Most drivers opt for (a) driving school or (b) hire a traffic ticket attorney.

Hire a Traffic Ticket Attorney

The success rate of Traffic Ticket Attorneys is very high in most cities and usually cost much less than the violation fine. While you are never guaranteed dismissal of the ticket its surely worth fighting as the odds are pretty good to have a ticket dismissed for most all common moving violations. If your ticket is dismissed it will be like the ticket never happened.

Attend Traffic School

If you feel the need to plead guilty its also possible to opt for driving school however driving school is more geared toward reducing or limiting the number of points on your driving record. Many times car insurance companies still consider choosing traffic school a negative mark on your driving regard. States also limit how many times a driver can take traffic school in lieu of a reduced fine or ticket waiver.

You should follow traffic laws at all times but there will probably come a time when you get a ticket. Try to at least find a car insurance company with a waiver for a single moving violation and avoid participating in serious offenses like reckless driving or excessive speeding or driving with no car insurance. The cost of being convicted for any serious traffic offense can not only result in higher car insurance rates but also severe state penalties and even jail time in some cases.

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