Speeding is a traffic violation, and getting a ticket for speeding will affect your driving record and insurance premiums.

On average, a speeding ticket will stay on your record for three years. This also means it will remain in your insurance record for three years on average. But that depends on your state, the severity of the ticket, and your insurance company.

A speeding ticket can impact you in three ways:

• Your driving privileges
• Your car insurance rates
• Your driving record

Important Factors To Know

• Traffic violations affect your insurance rates
• Car Insurers review several risk factors to determine your premium rates
• Insurers use traffic infractions to assess your odds of filing a claim in the future
• Your driving record is a crucial risk factor that insurers use to determine your likelihood of losing your driving license
• A speeding ticket on your driving record allows the insurer to surcharge your rates for up to three years
• Average surcharge for a speeding ticket is always 15% of your premiums
• Surcharges vary by state and the insurance company
• Multiple speeding tickets can make you lose Good Driver discounts offered by insurers

What Do You Do If You Get A Ticket?

If you’ve been slapped with a speeding ticket, here are your options:

• Accept and pay the ticket (this will earn you points on your record and increase your insurance rates)
• Go to a driving school to have your pints reduced (this is only applicable in some states)
• Contest the ticket in court. Your case may be dismissed if the ticketing officer fails to show up in court. This can work on your advantage because you won’t be fined, and the speeding ticket will not appear on your record.

How Does A Speeding Ticket Affect My Car Insurance?

A speeding ticket increases your insurance premiums. However, the increases in your premiums might not reflect immediately depending on your insurance renewal dates.

If your insurance rates increase because of a speeding ticket, it is likely that it won’t happen until you renew your policy. Depending on your type of policy, this maybe once every six months or yearly.

A Speeding ticket in Arizona (28-701) will increase your insurance by 7%. This is less than the national average of 11%. Additionally, the ticket will put 3 points on your driving record (an additional if you already have one), and it will stay visible on your record for 39 months.

Speeding in a school zone in Arizona increases your insurance premium by an average of $342 in the first year. But this is different among different insurers.

Note: If you’ve had several traffic infractions within three years, your insurer may drop you. When one carrier drops you, others may not offer you coverage.

Additionally, you’re also likely to be more affected if you are a younger driver.

Since insurers categorize drivers under 25 as high-risk, a speeding ticket before you renew your policy when you’re turning 25 years old may profoundly affect you.

The ticket may offset the privileges and savings you’d have received for the 25-year milestone and crossing the high-risk insurance redline.

How Long Does A Ticket Stay On My Insurance?

Tickets are counted in terms of points. Points impact both your driving privileges and insurance premiums. A speeding ticket is likely to accumulate your points.

On average, a ticket will stay on your insurance for three years or thirty-six months from the day of conviction. However, the amount of time a ticket affects you depends on your DMV record.

Note: Your premiums’ rate increase will be highest initially, then they will gradually decline over time.

However, the actual period a ticket stays on your insurance depends on your location (state), insurer, or the severity of your ticket.

Additionally, major violations, such as reckless driving or a DUI, will often stay on your record for much longer. Usually, many insurance companies look back five or more years (up to 10 years) to see your driving records.

For example, in Arizona, most convictions will stay on your record for up to 5 years from the conviction date. However, a DUI conviction will remain in your driving record for ten years.

Arizona uses the much stricter point system. For every traffic violation a driver commits, they accumulate points on their license.

If a driver accumulates eight or more points in 12-months, their license is suspended. The state of Arizona states that each subsequent offense results in an additional harsher penalty. These infractions also cause your premium rates to rise steeply.

Does An Out Of State Ticket Impact Your Insurance Policy?

Yes, you should expect an out of state ticket to show up in your records.

Most states share information on violations and citations by participating in the Driver’s License Compact – or the DLC.

However, not all states participate in the DLC or share information. This may bring a variance on how an out of state ticket impacts you, depending on where you received it.

For instance, If you get a ticket that affects your driving privileges in a state you are visiting, and the state is participating in DLC, your home state will typically have the ticket record as well.

Insurance companies take these records seriously and cite them on your policy to determine your premium rates.

How Can I Save On My Car Insurance After A Ticket?

Insurance companies often try to minimize risk as much as possible. If you have a ticket, your premiums will be high because insurers deem you as a high-risk client. But you can still save on the premiums. Here is how:

• Raise your deductible: agreeing to pay a higher deductible is a sure way to reduce your premium costs.
• Check for discounts: take a defensive driving course to enjoy perks such as lower rates or a good driver discount.
• Reduce coverage on old cars: if your car is old, say ten times less than the original cost, consider paying only the coverage you need. You can drop comprehensive and collision coverages.
• Keep your record clean: after a ticket, your rate increase will be higher in the beginning then decrease over time. A good record after a ticket will help reduce the premium costs over time.
• Shop for other insurance quotes: if your insurance has increased enormously, you can shop for other quotes from different insurers. The rate of increase is much dependent on your carrier.

Alternatively, you can opt for a non-standard insurer for coverage. If your insurance goes too high, or if standard insurers decline to offer you coverage because of a ticket, a non-standard insurer can be a solution.

Non-standard insurers specialize in covering people who have imperfect driving records.

Final Thoughts

A ticket is likely to affect your insurance rates and driving privileges. This is something that nobody would like to have in their records.

However, not all tickets will impact your insurance rates. Usually, insurers are only concerned with tickets earned during moving violations. These are infractions that occur when you’re driving your cars, such as accidents or speeding tickets.

A parking ticket, for instance, won’t insurance your premium rates.

Additionally, if you successfully contest a ticket, and get it overturned or expunged from your driving record, it will not affect your rates.