What to know about out of state speeding tickets and your car insurance.
Most drivers understand that speeding tickets will increase their auto insurance rates. But is this always the case? For instance, what happens if you get a speeding ticket while driving outside of your home state? Here’s what you need to know about out of state speeding tickets and your car insurance.
- How Speeding Tickets Affect Your Insurance
Speeding tickets raise your auto insurance rates because your insurer sees these violations as proof of your reckless driving. Because reckless drivers are more likely to get into an accident, insurance providers charge them more for coverage. However, speeding tickets will not raise your rates immediately. While a ticket will be added to your record right away, your insurer only checks your record during your policy renewal period. Depending on your insurer, this could be every six months or every one or two years. So, regardless of where you receive a speeding ticket, it will take a little bit of time before it will affect the cost of your auto insurance.
- It Depends on the State
Typically, out of state speeding tickets will affect your insurance the same way that an in-state ticket will. This is because most states inform each other about traffic violations due to their participation in the Driver License Compact. Currently, 45 states and Washington DC are part of this Compact and agree to report violations to the guilty driver’s home state.
However, not all states participate in the Compact. Currently, the states of Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, Tennessee, and Wisconsin have not formally agreed to this sharing of information. While some of these states will still report a ticket to your local DMV, they are not required to do so.
In addition to the states not included in the Compact, there are some states that will not record out of state traffic tickets on your driving record if they are considered minor violations. Colorado and Pennsylvania handle out of state tickets this way. Additionally, New York residents will not have out of state tickets reported on their driving record.
This is what you need to know about out of state speeding tickets and your auto insurance rates. Do you have further questions about your car coverage? If so, then contact the experts at Pierce Insurance Group. We are ready to assist you with all your auto insurance needs today.