You are probably going to be stopped at least once in your life—or more like a few times in your life—for traffic ticket violations.  They are a learning experience, and yet a common part of life since it’s hard to imagine never speeding at any time, given how fast traffic around you goes.

Remember that traffic tickets involve three types of tickets: parking violations, infractions, and misdemeanors.  Parking tickets can be paid and easily forgotten but infraction traffic tickets are harder to get rid of, and these include speeding, running a red light, or in some cases correctable violations, which can be repaired by simply replacing a part in your car.

The truth is, you’re probably going to get caught at some point, even if you try not to speed.  The downside is that traffic tickets can raise your auto insurance rates.  Even if your traffic ticket is paid and taken off the record, it still goes on your public records file.  And insurance companies do search these records on a regular basis, looking for any excuse to raise your insurance rates.  However, there is something you can do to raise your auto insurance rates and keep them as low as possible—even if you get a ticket.

  • First, common sense says that it’s best to lay low for a while and be very good during the probation period.  Because the more traffic violations you have, the higher the insurance companies can charge you.
  • Sometimes the best thing to do is to research the insurance company and see what their policy is on raising rates; is it once every three years or is it removed from their pay increase records once a year? It is important to find a company that offers the best insurance quotes.
  • If you’re going to speed, or accidentally speed, do not go over 5-10 miles per hour, since most insurance companies increase rates for drivers who go over 15 MPH.  In fact, a police officer may even choose not to stop you if you’re only going 10 MPH over, even if you’re caught.
  • Avoid driving your own car if you are traveling out of state.  If you’re issued a ticket while driving outside your home state, you can see a major increase in rates.
  • If you are issued a ticket, do not admit you were speeding, because this automatically increases your rate and you also cannot contest the ticket at a later time.  Signing a ticket is NOT admitting guilt.  Paying the fine is.  Contest the ticket or at least find out if you can get it removed from your record by paying.  In addition, you can get additional savings by enrolling in traffic school and enrolling in a defensive driving course.
  • Do not drink and drive; remember, the police officer has the right to take you into custody and charge you simply for believing that you are driving under the influence.  Do not admit guilt.  Simply sign the agreement to appear in court and contest it, by talking to a lawyer that specializes in these cases.

It’s sometimes challenging to recover from a traffic ticket, but know that you can always shop around for another provider, and one that may not penalize you for an old traffic speeding ticket from two years ago.  Perhaps you might ask yourself, is Safeway right for you?

In this case, reaching out and looking for a better deal is the best option.