Speeding is a very dangerous behavior, it not only threatens your own and others’ lives, but also causes a heavy financial burden on yourself. You may not know that speeding drivers in the United States spend nearly $380 more on car insurance each year, and this impact may last for several years. In this blog post, we will introduce you to how speeding tickets affect car insurance rates in the United States, and how you can reduce your insurance costs.

U.S. insurance companies will decide whether to raise the insurance rates of speeding drivers based on different factors, such as:

– The driver’s past driving record, whether there are violations or accidents;

– Whether the driver is speeding for the first time;

– The time interval between the driver’s last violation;

– The degree of speeding, how much it exceeds the speed limit.

Even if the driver wants to switch insurance companies or buy new insurance, they cannot avoid the problem of rising premiums, because other insurance companies will also check the driver’s driving record. Depending on the state you live in, traffic violations may be kept for three to five years. For example, New Jersey and Texas allow car insurance companies to charge surcharges for three years; while in Massachusetts, insurance companies can charge surcharges for up to five years. Some insurance companies and state laws will reduce the surcharge year by year after you have no other accidents or violations for a whole year.

If your premium goes up after receiving a speeding ticket, you may be able to reduce your car insurance costs by following these methods:

– Take a safe driving course: If you are a first-time offender, or you can reduce points by taking a state-approved driving course, some states may even waive this violation record, which means your premium will not increase as a result.

– Consult car insurance discounts: Although speeding tickets will cause premiums to rise, it does not mean that you will lose eligibility for other car insurance discounts, such as bundling car insurance and home insurance, life insurance, paying premiums in full or choosing paperless, etc.

– Shop around: Another indispensable money-saving trick is to compare quotes from different car insurance companies. Although driving violations will also exist in new insurance companies, new insurance companies may still offer more favorable quotes.

In addition, some car insurance companies may “forgive” minor traffic violations, such as:

– Travelers Responsible Driver Plan: Travelers has a responsible driver insurance plan that can waive a minor traffic violation or an accident within a specified period of time, allowing you to avoid premium increases due to speeding or accidents.

– Farmers Accident Forgiveness: Farmers car insurance policy includes many favorable conditions, including accident forgiveness. If you have not had an accident in 3 years, then you will not have a premium increase when an accident occurs.

– Erie Rate Lock: Erie car insurance rate lock can prevent rate increases unless some changes are made to the policy, such as adding or deleting drivers or vehicles, changing addresses, etc.

It should be noted that different states in the United States may have different specific definitions of “minor” traffic violations, but generally if speeding is less than 10 MPH, it can be considered as a minor violation.

Speeding is not worth the risk, it not only exposes you to legal risks, but also makes your car insurance costs soar. For your own and others’ safety and interests, we suggest you follow the traffic rules and drive safely.