Traffic violations can raise your auto insurance rates and premiums, so check out our buying tips below for the facts on what impact these incidents have, and what you can do about it. We’ve got clear, thorough information on the relationship between auto insurance and traffic violations like speeding tickets, moving violations, and more.

Speeding Tickets and How They Affect Auto Insurance Rates

Speeding Tickets and How They Affect Auto Insurance Rates
By Michelle Burton

Believe it or not, having just one speeding ticket on your driving record can affect your auto insurance rates. Auto insurance companies determine whether or not you are a high risk driver or a low risk by considering everything from age and gender to credit history and driving record. To insurance companies, speeding tickets translates to “reckless driver.” This means that to insurance companies, you are more likely to be involved in an accident than most other drivers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) supports this theory. According to the NHTSA, speeding is cited as a factor in one-third of all accident-related fatalities. Because of this, federal regulators are cracking down. In addition to high insurance rates, speeding tickets can cost you hundreds in fines and surcharges of as much a $30 a pop.

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How Points on your Driver's License Affect Your Auto Insurance Premiums

How Points on your Driver's License Affect Your Auto Insurance Premiums

You know that sinking feeling you get when a cop car pulls up behind you and flashes its lights, and the officer broadcasts (so passersby can hear) that you should pull over?  If you do, you are probably one of the millions who have been ticketed for a moving violation.  In most states, moving violations, like running a stop sign, running a red light, speeding, illegal u-turns, unsafe lane changes, etc., will earn you points.  These aren’t the kind of points you get to trade in for goods and services.  If these add up in a short period of time, these are the kind that can cost you more money for your insurance and possibly cause you to lose your driving privileges.

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