You heard it from the minute you first got your license. Getting caught speeding was going to make your car insurance rates go flying up, so you need to watch your speed when you're out on the highway. The problem is, it's incredibly easy to pick up a speeding ticket. All it takes is a moment of inattention (or a little too much willingness to go along with the speed of traffic) and the police will have you in their sights. Here's a look at what the judge is going to say about your first speeding ticket and how you can keep it from killing your checkbook.
What the Legal System Has to Say About Your First Speeding Ticket
How many times have you been out on the highways and caught yourself going just a little too fast? The common adage among drivers is that you can usually get away with going five to ten over without catching the attention of local law enforcement. That might be true sometimes, but not all the time. There are stories of a police officer in Virginia who actually slapped a speeding violation on a car for doing 27mph in a 25 mph zone. You can't be too careful.
Because it is so easy for drivers to pick up a speeding ticket most court systems are willing to go easy on them, which is great news when it comes to your car insurance rates. Depending on your county's individual policies you're probably more likely to be offered a chance to wipe the ticket from your record by taking a driver's improvement class and/or completing a certain number of hours of community service. The idea being that it's more important to learn why you shouldn't speed on the road than it is to make you pay for a ticket over and over again.
And after 8-24 grueling hours of sitting in a classroom that's going to feel very much like your high school driver's ed class you're not going to be anxious to repeat the experience anytime soon.
What That's Going to Do to Your Car Insurance Rates
Your car insurance company gets the information they use to evaluate your driving history directly from the DMV, which assigns each driver to a point system. The number of points you have on your driver's license is going to determine how much you pay for your insurance coverage. You gain points for keeping a clean record for five years or more and for completing a driver's improvement course. You lose points for causing an accident, for receiving multiple traffic violations and for being convicted of a DUI/DWI, among other things.
If you're never convicted of the speeding ticket and you're able to get it wiped off your record your insurance company is never going to find out about it and it's going to have no impact at all on your insurance rates. So if you've just picked up your first speeding ticket and you're thinking about just paying it off and being done with it, don't. That court appearance might have more of an impact on your financial future than you would believe if you hadn't been there.
Anthony M. Peck is the Senior Developer, Software Project Manager and Director of Business Development for QuoteScout.com. For more information on speeding tickets and your car insurance rates [http://www.quotescout.com/insurance-articles/car-insurance/How-to-Keep-Your-First-Speeding-Ticket-189.shtml] visit them on the web at [http://www.quotescout.com]
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