A speeding ticket can be the last thing you want to deal with after a long day at work or school. Yet, when a police officer pulls your car over, you know this is going to be a costly problem. Not only do these tickets require you to pay a fee, but also they can cause your auto insurance costs to rise. As a result, you may be hoping to learn how to reduce your car insurance rates. To do that, you need your tickets to come off your record. How does it all work?
What Happens When You Get a Ticket?
When a person receives a ticket for a moving violation, the officer writes a ticket and enters the information into a computer. There may be a court appearance required. Even when there is not, you have the right to dispute that ticket. Most often, it does not help, however.
To track how many tickets a person has, the Department of Motor Vehicles in your state uses a point system. Some offenses account for just one or two points. Some are more.
The more points you have on your license, the higher of a risk you are to the auto insurance company. More so, over time, points add up. If you reach the trigger level, which is 12 points in some states, you may lose your license. Suspensions and revocations can occur. Your driving record keeps track of how many points you have.
However, over a period of time, those points begin to fall off your record. The length of time it takes for a violation like this to come off your record varies. State laws determine what is allowable. In most cases, if you remain ticket-free, your record can improve over time. Usually, speeding tickets come off your license every two years. However, there are various situations that limit this.
What About Your Auto Insurance Knows
While your driving record shows a speeding ticket for a short period of time, that is not the same for your insurance carrier. Car insurance carriers maintain a record of your driving violations longer. This tends to be for five years or more. That means that, during this time, that ticket can make you a higher risk to other drivers on the road. It can increase your car insurance costs, too.
If you have speeding tickets, talk to your auto insurance agent about them. Some companies do not raise rates for a single violation. Many even offer accident forgiveness over time. This can help you get lower rates later. Contact us to see what your particular carrier offers.