The Effect Of Non Accident Tickets On Car Insurance Prices
Tickets affect car insurance, even if the ticket isn't accident related. This both punishes those who have violated the law and allows insurance providers to reward their drivers with no recorded infractions by keeping their insurance rates low. Even with cheap car insurance, one's rates can be expected to rise with any kind of car insurance tickets.
Multiple tickets reflect negatively on drivers because they show that the driver in question does not have proper respect for the laws of the road. In the eyes of insurance companies, this means that the driver not only lacks the competence of their law abiding fellow drivers, but that they are statistically more likely to get involved in an accident.
Speeding tickets are the most common type of non accident ticket that will affect car insurance. Speeding 15 miles or less over the speeding limit is classified as a minor infraction, while speeding over 15 miles above the speeding limit is classified as a major infraction. Naturally, major infractions will cost a consumer more in car insurance than minor tickets.
There are many other non accident related tickets that will affect car insurance rates, both minor and major. For example, a motorist might be shocked to discover that minor infractions such as driving with a busted headlight, driving with a dirty license plate, driving too slowly and even making too much noise while driving can all result in insurance raising tickets. Driving without a seatbelt can also lead to a minor infraction ticket and, if a passenger in one's vehicle is a minor and not wearing a seatbelt, the driver of the vehicle is stuck with the ticket, not the passenger.
The good news is that many car insurance companies don't raise rates due to a single minor infraction. More than that, however, and there will definitely be a rise in the monthly cost of their insurance.
Major infractions will result in higher rate hikes than minor infractions, as these infractions are deemed more dangerous to society. Reckless driving and driving under the influence are two mistakes that will land a driver a major infraction.
There are two types of non accident related car insurance tickets that will not cause a driver's rates to go up. Both parking tickets and red light camera tickets have no affect on insurance rates, as it can be argued that the vehicle's owner was not the driver when the incident occurred.
Even with cheap car insurance, tickets will cause one's insurance rates to rise. If traffic school is an option, a ticketed driver should immediately enroll to get their infraction forgiven before it costs them higher rates.
