The 7 most expensive moving violations

It’s no secret that receiving a speeding or any other traffic ticket can raise your insurance rates.  A drivers motor vehicle record (MVR) can have a major affect on their insurance rates and can even limit the insurance companies that will sell them a policy.  But did you know the type of ticket you receive can have varying affects on rates?  Here is a list of the top seven infractions and the average rate increase for each.

The affect of each of these tickets will vary by company and state.  For example, Kentucky saw the highest increases in the nation for tickets like driving in a carpool lane, failure to stop, failure to yield and failure to yield to a pedestrian. It also took the number two spot for following too closely and not signaling.  California was also the harshest on speeding and driving the wrong way, while New Jersey was either in the number one or two spot for several of the categories.

Different insurance carriers handle tickets in different ways.  Some carriers will ignore the first ticket but enforce subsequent infractions.  Other carriers offer policy add-ons (for a fee) that will waive minor violations and accidents.  Bundling your home, auto, and umbrella will help even more.  Carriers tend to be more sympathetic if you have multiple lines of insurance with them.  This reinforces the importance of working with an independent agent that has access to multiple companies.  If you have a bad string of luck you can switch insurance carriers but retain your agent.

Most carriers look back 3 years for tickets and 5 years for accidents when factoring them into the rate.  The older the infraction/accident the less affect it will have on rates.  So if you receive a speeding ticket, you will only be stuck paying the increase for three years, with the ticket affecting the premium less and less each year as it gets older.