If you’ve been pulled over and ticketed for a traffic violation, you may be well aware of the potential penalties, including court fines, points on a license, and an increase in your insurance premium. What you might not realize is that often the most expensive element of a traffic ticket violation is the insurance increase. As a traffic ticket attorney from a firm like Rispoli & Borneo can explain, depending on the circumstances, this alone could be worth fighting your ticket.
How Much Will Your Insurance Increase?
There are various considerationos that insurance companies will refer to when determining the cost of your insurance rate, such as your age, sex, maritial status, and model of your car. In addition to these basic details, insurance companies will review your driving record. This is one of the most important factors in determining what you will pay for coverage, and the more traffic violations you have, the more you will pay.
You might do your very best to avoid a traffic violation; however, humans are bound to make a mistake every now and then. Thus, it is likely you will commit one of these offenses at some point or another. If this should happen, you may notice an immediate increase in your insurance.
Based on the average statistics available from Insurance.com, a standard traffic ticket in [location] will likely increase your insurance by 22-25%. As a traffic ticket lawyer might explain to you, the more serious the offense is, the more your insurance may increase. For instance, reckless driving, which refers to driving in a way that endangers life, limb, or property, will almost certainly be more costly than speeding 5 miles over the speed limit.
The estimated insurance increase varies by state. For example, in some areas, you can expect rates to be increased by 30% or more. Our traffic ticket lawyers know of violations that have had a 50% insurance rate increase! Additional statistics that could affect your insurance rate after a ticket violation include:
Whether you are a divorcee
Whether you live in a condo, single family home, or with parents
Whether you are under 25 years of age
Whether you were under the influence
Whether you caused injury or property damage
Every insurance company applies their own rules and methods for determining the rates. For instance, one company might increase your rate for three years, and another for five. On the other hand, some insurance companies will apply a one year surcharge.
When You Have an Out of State Ticket
If you’re facing an out of state traffic ticket, do not think you are off the hook. A majority of insurance companies are part of a system that shares information about traffic violations. It is highly probable that your out of state violation will appear in your home states driving record. You can receive the same penalties from an out of state ticket as you would receive with a ticket from your home state. Thus, you should consider hiring a traffic ticket lawyer to help you.
For more information on how your traffic ticket violation could be reduced, call a traffic ticket lawyer today.