Police issue speeding ticket
You’ve been caught speeding. The ticket is sitting on your desk waiting to be paid. The deadline to pay is a long ways off, and you’re going to make the State wait every last minute for their money. Because it’s just so unfair!

But how does waiting affect your insurance rates? When you are caught speeding and you sign for the ticket, you have not yet admitted guilt. You have only acknowledged receipt of the ticket. You are allowed to contest the ticket in court. However, when you pay the ticket, you are admitting guilt. The date recorded in police records is the date your ticket is marked as paid.

Here’s why this might be important for your insurance rates: Let’s say you want to shop insurance rates. Insurance companies vary on the length of time that is considered when looking at your driving record, but it’s usually at least three years and often up to five years. If you waited six months to pay your speeding ticket, then that’s six months longer that you will have to wait until your insurance quotes drop.

If you fail to pay your ticket or arrange for a court appearance before the deadline, then another charge regarding your failure to appear may appear on your record. This second charge will count as a second hit on your insurance rates, and may also appear as a suspension of your driver’s license. These additional hits will significantly raise your insurance rates and quotes, and may move your risk level from conventional auto insurance to a higher-risk level often known as indemnity.

Contact Mountain Lakes Insurance at 770-926-9444 for more information.