Which Traffic Tickets Cause Highest Car Insurance Rates

A speeding ticket for 16 miles over the speed limit can cause your car insurance rate to increase by 28%, according to a recent nationwide analysis conducted by InsuranceQuotes.com to determine which traffic tickets cause the highest insurance rates.

Not surprisingly, tickets for DUI and Reckless Driving cause car insurance rates to increase much more than other types of traffic violations. However, simple speeding tickets can also cause a dramatic increase in your insurance rates.

The study showed that the following traffic convictions cause the highest increase in car insurance rates:

• DUI: 93% increase
• Reckless driving: 82% increase
• Careless driving:  27% increase
• Speeding 1-15 mph over the limit: 21% increase
  • 16-30 mph over the limit: 28% increase
  • 31+ mph over the limit: 30% increase
• Failure to stop: 19% increase
• Failure to yield to pedestrians: 19% increase
• Driving in a carpool lane: 18% increase

In addition to an increase in your car insurance rates, pleading guilty to a traffic violation causes points to be added to your driving record, which could cause your license to be suspended or revoked.

You can hire a traffic law attorney to get most traffic violations dismissed or reduced to a non-moving, no-point violation, even if an accident was involved. You will pay a higher fine than you would have paid if you had pleaded guilty, but in many cases, you won’t have to appear in court.