So you are speeding and you get pulled over and get a ticket. It sucks, but you pay your 150$ or so and you are done with it. Right? Wrong. Traffic Tickets also have the potential to increase your car insurance, which can be a lot more expensive than the ticket over time.
♦ Why traffic tickets can increase the cost of your car insurance
The reason this happens is statistics drivers who happen to have a lot of violations also have a statistically higher chance to actually get into auto accidents. There are some studies that even show this chance to be as high as 25-35%. That is a pretty higher percentage statistically that the insurance company will end up having to pay out for claims.
♦ How much will a single ticket affect your car insurance?
It all depends. Some tickets can be cleared out by taking safe driving classes. If a ticket is a minor infraction, even when the insurance company finds out about it they may possibly not raise your rate. The more severe the ticket the mire likely they are to raise your insurance rate. One of the WORST tickets for insurance rate is any sort of DWI/DUI. Insurance companies take these very seriously and if they do not cancel the policy outright the driver is looking at greatly increased rates?
♦ Can age of the driver have an effect on the outcome of a ticket and insurance.
Yes! A driver under 25 years of age is more likely to have a ticket raise his/her rate. IT is also likely to raise the rate more than it would an older driver. Think of it this way, if someone has been driving 15 years without a ticket and gets one it is easy to chalk it up as an aberration. If someone has been driving 15 months it is harder to do that. Having a good driving record for a long period of time is always a beneficial thing for the insurance companies.
♦ Traffic Tickets can affect the “discount”
Many insurance companies offer a “good driver discount”. This is a specific discount based on a good driving record. It will be harder to get this discount if someone has a few traffic violations on their record.
It is plain that there are many reasons and ways that tickets can effect a your insurance. Next time you are thinking of putting the peddle down to the floor think of that in addition to the fines that you will have to pay to the police.