A typical speeding ticket will stay on your insurance for approximately 3 years or 36 months – or more. This can potentially impact your insurance premiums and driving record.
But the actual time a speeding ticket stays on your insurance depends on your state, record, the severity of the ticket, and insurance provider.
This article discusses how long a speeding ticket will stay on your insurance and how it impacts your driving and insurance premiums.
You’ll also learn some important factors about speeding tickets vs. insurance premiums.
How Does A Speeding Ticket Impact You?
Speeding is a traffic violation and sometimes a criminal offense. Getting a speeding ticket will reflect on your driving record. This affects your driving record, and ultimately your insurance premiums.
There are three particular places where a speeding ticket can impact you:
- Your driving privileges
- Your car insurance rates/premiums
- Your driving record/history on your state’s documents
Each of these works differently, and they are all impacted by the infraction’s severity, your state’s laws, and the number of tickets you’ve received recently.
Note that insurance providers use your history of traffic infractions to assess your odds of future claims. This means, more violations on your driving records can translate to a higher likelihood of future claims. And more claims mean higher premiums rates.
How Long Does A Ticket Stay On Your DMV Record?
To understand how long a ticket stays on your insurance, you need first to know how long it stays on your DMV record. This is where it all begins!
Once you’re convicted of any traffic violation, minor infractions like speeding tickets stay on your record for three years. This precise period may vary by state.
For example, while the average period is 36 months, in California, speeding tickets disappear after 39 months, while in Arizona, they last for five years.
Some states maintain records of driving infractions for a very long time.
Besides, more severe driving convictions like reckless driving or a DUI stay on your record much longer.
For example, in New York and Arizona, a DWI/DUI driving will be listed on your driving record for 10 years. In Florida, it will last for 75 years.
How Long Do Points Stay On Your Insurance?
In car insurance, tickets are counted in terms of points. Drivers accumulate points on every traffic violation, and a speeding ticket will likely accumulate points on your record. Points impact both your insurance premiums and driving privileges.
But how long do the ticket points stay on your insurance?
The speeding ticket’s points will stay on your insurance as long as they are on your DMV driving record.
But, this depends on two things:
- The severity of your infraction
- Your state
As we’ve discussed, on average, a ticket will stay on your record for 3 years or more. This means the ticket will also stay on your insurance for three years from the day of conviction.
If your speeding resulted in a severe infraction, the ticket could stay on your insurance longer, depending on the infraction.
Speeding tickets on a driving license accumulate in terms of license points. In different states, there is a point limit, after which your driving license is suspended.
But, points only impact your license suspension up to a certain amount of time.
For example, in Arizona, if a driver accumulates 8 or more points within 12-months, their license gets suspended. The duration of suspension depends on the severity of the points.
This suspension will also stay on your insurance for as long as it stays on your DMV record.
For How Long Will A Speeding Ticket Affect Your Car Insurance?
Car Insurers review several risk factors to determine your insurance premium rates. Speeding tickets are one of the factors.
In many cases, a speeding ticket will stay on your car insurance for three years. But this depends on your state, the severity of your infraction, and your insurer.
The speeding ticket will increase your insurance premiums because of the risk increase.
But, the rate increases will not reflect immediately until your next insurance renewal.
Also, your premiums’ rate increase will be highest in the beginning, and then it will gradually decline over time until the ticket is removed from your record.
Depending on how recently your infraction occurred and its severity, some insurers may not offer you coverage at all.
If this happens, you can opt for non-standard insurers for coverage. These insurers specialize in providing insurance for individuals with driving histories that affect their driving records.
How Much Will Your Insurance Rates Increase After A Speeding Ticket?
On average, car insurance goes up about 25% after a speeding ticket. But this depends on your location, state, and your insurance company.
For example, a speeding ticket in Arizona (under article 28-701) will increase your insurance by 7%. This is lower than the national average of 11% and 25% by insurance companies.
In addition, the ticket will include 3 points on your DMV driving record. This will be an addition if you already have speeding tickets. The points will stay visible on your record and to your insurer for as long as they stay on the DMV records.
Speeding in a school zone or other marked areas increases your insurance premium by much more. It’s a greater infraction.
Note: Several traffic infractions within a short time might prompt your insurer to drop you. This may affect how other carriers offer you coverage.
What Doesn’t Impact Your Car Insurance?
A ticket will impact your insurance rates, but not all of them. Some tickets don’t affect your car insurance.
Generally, insurers are usually only concerned with moving violations. These are infractions that occur while you’re driving your car. Speeding tickets or accidents are the main examples. They don’t give much concern to infractions that occur when your vehicle is not moving.
A parking ticket, for instance, won’t increase your car insurance premiums.
Additionally, any other ticket that you successfully overturned or expunged from your driving record won’t impact your rates – regardless of how long ago the infraction occurred.
Does An Out Of State Ticket Impact Your Car Insurance Rates?
Yes, an out-of-state ticket will show up in your records. Your insurance provider can see anything on your record and use it to calculate your premium rates.
Most states share violation and citation information through the Driver’s License Compact (the DLC).
However, since not all states share information or participate in the DLC, there may be a difference in how an out-of-state ticket impacts your insurance premiums.
Final Thoughts
A speeding ticket can significantly impact your insurance rates regardless of how long it stays on your record.
Whether or not your rates go up, and by how much, usually depend on your state, the severity of the infraction, age, and driving record.
If this happens, you may need to take important steps to reduce your insurance cost.