There are common misconceptions with how a ticket can affect your insurance. Time and time again we hear from clients “yes I have a ticket but no points on my record so this won’t affect my insurance, right?”
The answer is “it depends.” Unless the ticket is overturned by a court, a conviction will very likely have an impact on your insurance. Depending on the type of conviction, the impact will vary.
If you have a minor ticket such as speeding, failure to stop, etc… you are at risk of losing certain discounts on your policy such as a “violation free discount.” This can be as much as 15%. However more serious convictions can put your insurance at risk of being cancelled by the insurance company.
If you have more than one conviction, your insurance company may add a surcharge to your policy, in addition to removing any “violation free” discounts. From the perspective of law enforcement, points on your record are used to track the privilege of driving. If you exceed a certain number of points your license can be suspended or even revoked.
So while a ticket for a minor violation, such as speeding, may not negatively affect your insurance, there’s no guarantee. It depends on a number of factors including other violations on your record, the records of other drivers included on your policy, and the company you’re insured with, just to name a few.
The best advice is to use common sense. Keeping your record free of violations and accidents will go a long way in reducing your insurance premium.