Will A Speeding Ticket Cause My Insurance Rates To Go Up?

I'm wondering if pleading guilty to a speeding ticket will really make my insurance rates go up.

ANSWER:
Yes, a moving violation being recorded against your driving record will nearly always cause you insurance rates to increase. Why? Because everything with insurance is risk assessment, and your potential risk as a driver just went up.

How does the insurance company know about my ticket? Most insurance companies keep track of their client’s driving records. Like any business, they’re interested in their clients. A moving violation on your record is seen an opportunity to raise your insurance premium and most insurance companies are not going to ignore that.

How long will a moving violation on my record raise my insurance rates? Generally, your insurance rates will go up for about 3 years, as that’s how long most moving violations stay on your driving record. However, if you plead guilty to another ticket during that time, the rates will likely escalate again and the 3 year time frame starts over.

How much will my insurance rates increase? The general consensus is about 10-25% of your current premium for about 3 years. This is a generalization based on reports of many clients who have related their increased rates to us.

If you want to know for sure, call and ask your insurance company a “hypothetical question”. What would be better (and safer) is to call any insurance company that is not yours or have a friend who has not gotten a ticket call their insurance company and ask the question. That way, you will prevent giving your insurance company a “heads up” that you have a moving violation issue going on.

Based on the information you get, figure out if it’s cost effective for you to pay to have your speeding ticket amended or not. With a ticket amendment, you spend more money up front, but generally always save in the long run. In addition, you keep your driving record clean which is always a plus.

TIP: Do your assessment of this BEFORE you plead guilty. We get calls every day from people who have just gotten that letter from their insurance companies raising their rates due to a “change in their driving records”. IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO UNDO A GUILTY PLEA (expensive, time consuming, etc), so make sure that’s what you want to do before you do it.