It happens to the best of us—you lose track of the speedometer or you’re in a hurry and suddenly you see those red and blue flashing lights in your rearview mirror. You’re getting pulled over and are about to receive a speeding ticket. In addition to paying the cost of the citation, you may wonder how this will affect the cost of your car insurance.
Your rates will likely increase since speeding citations are a part of your driving record and your insurance company uses that information to determine your insurance rate. Here are some other factors that can affect your insurance cost when you get a speeding ticket:
Your rate of speed over the speed limit
The speed you were going when you received your speeding ticket is used to determine how much your insurance rates will increase. If you were going 10 miles per hour over the speed limit, that could cost less than if you were going 20 or 30 miles per hour over the limit.
Some insurance companies won’t raise your premium for speeding unless you were traveling at a certain speed over the limit. However, each insurance company has their own criteria.
Multiple speeding tickets
Some insurance companies won’t raise your rates if this speeding ticket is your first and only offense. But, if you start racking up multiple tickets, you can expect to see the cost of your insurance increase with each one. This happens because every moving violation or driving infraction adds points on your driver’s license. Insurance companies base the amount they charge you on the risk you present. Therefore, increased points typically equal increased car insurance costs.
Ways to keep your car insurance costs down
There are a few things you can do to help bring your insurance cost back down after a violation.
- Slow down: Some insurance companies factor in the time between speeding violations when pricing insurance. So, if you can go a while without receiving another speeding ticket, then your insurance cost may decrease.
- Drive safely: To help ensure you won’t increase your insurance further, observe safe driving practices. Make full stops at stop signs and stay aware of other drivers and road conditions while you’re driving.
- Take a defensive driving course: Taking a course to help you drive more safely demonstrates to your insurance company that you take driving seriously. Many insurance companies offer a discount on auto insurance for taking such classes. While your car insurance rates may increase—temporarily—due to a speeding violation, we hope that this information helps you drive safer and reduces your car insurance costs in the future.