Most of us have at one point in our lives received a ticket. We’ve seen the flashing lights behind us, felt our hearts drop to our gut, and begun the process by rolling down our window. Sometimes, we’re lucky enough to get out of it, but most of the time, we leave in a bad mood with a fine to pay and sometimes even points on our license. Many of us many not realize it, but did you know that getting a ticket can affect your car insurance premium?
Many factors determine what a motorist pays for auto insurance: age, sex, address, marital status, make and model of car, and the most important one, driving record. Having a clean record versus one with tons of violations and at-fault accidents can have an affect on what you do with hundreds of dollars or more a year.
Depending on the citation, a single ticket can increase your car insurance premium by as much as 22%, but this is just an average. For motorists with less than stellar records, rates could increase by much more and drivers going more than 15 mph above the speed limit will see their premiums increase more than those going only 5 mph above the limit.
To avoid higher car insurance premiums, it’s always better to not admit guilt if you receive a ticket because if you admit guilt, you will be unable to contest the ticket later. Signing a ticket is not an admission of guilt, but paying a fine is, so don’t pay a fine until you’ve decided whether or not you plan on contesting the charge. We recommend calling your car insurance provider and asking how a ticket will affect your rates before making any decisions. In some cases, you can take a defensive driving course or enroll in traffic school to erase the ticket from your record.
Whatever you choose to do, it’s important to choose an insurance provider you can trust. Your auto insurance is there to protect YOU, so you should always feel comfortable calling your provider to ask questions and you shouldn’t ever feel like you’re being taken advantage of.
To learn more about auto insurance or to receive a free quote today, call us at 305-648-7070.
Many factors determine what a motorist pays for auto insurance: age, sex, address, marital status, make and model of car, and the most important one, driving record. Having a clean record versus one with tons of violations and at-fault accidents can have an affect on what you do with hundreds of dollars or more a year.
Depending on the citation, a single ticket can increase your car insurance premium by as much as 22%, but this is just an average. For motorists with less than stellar records, rates could increase by much more and drivers going more than 15 mph above the speed limit will see their premiums increase more than those going only 5 mph above the limit.
To avoid higher car insurance premiums, it’s always better to not admit guilt if you receive a ticket because if you admit guilt, you will be unable to contest the ticket later. Signing a ticket is not an admission of guilt, but paying a fine is, so don’t pay a fine until you’ve decided whether or not you plan on contesting the charge. We recommend calling your car insurance provider and asking how a ticket will affect your rates before making any decisions. In some cases, you can take a defensive driving course or enroll in traffic school to erase the ticket from your record.
Whatever you choose to do, it’s important to choose an insurance provider you can trust. Your auto insurance is there to protect YOU, so you should always feel comfortable calling your provider to ask questions and you shouldn’t ever feel like you’re being taken advantage of.
To learn more about auto insurance or to receive a free quote today, call us at 305-648-7070.