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Speeding: 10 or Less. Does It Affect My Insurance?

By
Services for Real Estate Pros with Cerium Learning

Where are you going in such a hurry?

Do you have any idea of how fast you were going?

Do you know why I pulled you over today?

Have you ever heard those questions before?

They usually come from a police officer or the highway patrol when you are caught speeding. It's a sinking feeling when you see the red lights in your rear view mirror.

Deep down you know you were going too fast (at least most of the time) and you are hoping to get just a warning instead of an actual ticket.

You probably have never heard the officer say

"I clocked you doing 77 in a 60 zone but I'm writing this for only 10 over so it won't affect your insurance."

Is that true?

Does a speeding ticket for 10 or less affect your insurance rates?

The answer is yes and no.

In most cases it will not affect your insurance rates because you already have auto insurance. You have already gone through your insurance carriers underwriting process, which means that ticket you just received wasn't there. Most insurers will not run your MVR (Motor Vehicle Report) again just to make sure you haven't received a ticket.

Insurance companies are too busy underwriting new insureds and settling claims to re-underwrite existing insureds.

What that means is it really doesn't matter if the ticket is for 10 or less; or if it's 10 - 15 over; or (God forbid you heathen) it's 15+ over

UNLESS

You want to change your insurance provider.

When you apply for auto insurance, the carrier will request your driving record from the state DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles). The state DMV will provide the carrier information on EVERY TICKET you have received. Whether the ticket was for speeding, speeding 10 - 15 over, speeding 15+ over, or any other kind of ticket.

THIS WILL AFFECT YOUR INSURANCE

So why would the officer tell you this ticket (for speeding 10 or less) will not affect your insurance but a different kind of ticket will?

Unfortunately, the officer doesn't know insurance. But what he does know and the reason for the faulty conclusion is:

Having a speeding ticket for 10 or less is given a code by the DMV which results in 0 (zero) points on your driving record. In other situations when the DMV reports on your driving record they will report your points total. If you only have a 10 or less speeding ticket, your points total is still 0.

But with insurance companies, the DMV provides data on actual tickets, not points.

The result is every ticket you receive will be reported by the DMV to every insurance carrier that requests it. Most reputable carriers will factor into your rates every moving violation, and this includes the speeding 10 or less ticket.

So long as you stay with your current insurance provider, you may get away with speeding and not have it affect your rates. But if you want to shop your rates, more than likely that speeding ticket will affect the rate the new provider can offer you.

As Paul Harvey used to say "Now you know the rest of the story."

Drive Safely

Rick Trowe and I'm Standing Up.

Comments (8)

Bob Haywood
McGraw Realtors - Owasso, OK
BobHaywood.com

Rick,

The wife and I share a meal.
I eat no beans or rice.
I eat no chips or salsa.

The fun part of this approach is sitting there watching everyone else gorge themselves while I have zero calorie intake.  Later they'll complain about their weight and go on their diets.  I don't have to complain because I live my diet daily...

Sep 04, 2008 02:32 AM
Bob Haywood
McGraw Realtors - Owasso, OK
BobHaywood.com

Oops, the above comment was meant for the post about eating!

Sep 04, 2008 02:34 AM
John Tooley
John Tooley Insurance Agency - Owasso, OK

Rick,

Thank you for the article.  This is a great explanation on how tickets affect insurance.

Sep 04, 2008 11:33 AM
Deb Brooks
Brooks Prime Properties Wichita Falls Texas - Wichita Falls, TX

So Rick, this is interesting. I've had the same insurance company now for 12 years. I have not had any tickets but it still goes up each year. Kinda like health insurance. This is great advice...so if you have a great many tickets or any really if you wait two years they will drop off your record. Then change companies! Thanks for the reminder.

Later in the rain~Deb

Sep 04, 2008 12:46 PM
Virginia Hepp - Mesquite NV REALTOR
Desert Gold Realty - Mesquite NV Homes For Sale - Mesquite, NV
Mesquite NV Homes and Neighborhoods - Search MLS

Rick - great question, great answers, no I did not know that.  I should - I have 3 daughters, one of them had 13 tickets before she turned 18.

And tell your friend Bob that he should splurge once in awhile - it is good for the soul.  A very wise person told me that, I can't remember who.  No, wait a minute - it was me!

BTW - a late Welcome to AR - you will be appreciated here.

Sep 04, 2008 04:06 PM
Not a real person
San Diego, CA

I haven't had a speeding ticket since cruise control hit the market. I had a Montgomery Ward cruise control system put in my 1976 Chevrolet Impala, and I've been cruise-controlling ever since.

Sep 04, 2008 07:14 PM
Danny Thornton
R & D Art - Knoxville, TN
WordPress Guru

Rick, I have to say that I have never met an office that would write me a ticket for less than what I was doing.

Sep 05, 2008 06:20 AM
Ronald Gillis
Southwest Florida Notaries (Mortgage Notary Signing Agent) - Port Charlotte, FL
CNSA Southwest Florida. Notaries, Port Charlotte, 941-7-NOTARY

Every state, and every insurance carrier's rules are different.  So what might work for some, will not for others.  BTW, you might want to consider Pre-Paid Legal services, as you will also get legal representation as well as correct advice about these types of questions and many more - with unlimited phone consultations! 

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Sep 14, 2008 05:24 PM