Speeding tickets are a fact of life, but they can cost in more ways than one. Besides the initial fine, tickets show up on your driving record and this causes your insurance to climb.
According to a study from CarInsurance.com and noticed by The Detroit Bureau, a single speeding ticket can cause your car insurance rate to jump 22-30% on average. Of course, where you live and what kind of ticket you were given can greatly impact that number.
Interestingly, the study found there’s a relatively simple way to avoid all of this – ask for a warning. While it won’t work in every situation, the study found that 41% of the time people asked for leniency, police officers didn’t write them a ticket. Unsurprisingly, police seem to be more forgiving to women as 25% of men who asked for leniency still got a ticket while only 7% of women did.
Even if officers don’t dismiss the speeding ticket altogether, they could write in a lower speed. That’ll still impact your wallet but, it could save you some serious cash.
The study found drivers in California who get a ticket for going 11-16 mph (18-26 km/h) over the speed limit can expect their insurance to climb by 34%. The same violation would result in a 29% increase in Michigan. If you’re caught going more than 30 mph (48 km/h) over the speed limit in the mitten state, then you can expect your insurance to skyrocket by 70%.
Also Read: These Are 2019’s Cheapest And Most Expensive Cars To Insure
While everyone knows speeding can cost you, pretty much everyone still does it. The study found 82% of drivers admit to going up to 15 mph (24 km/h) over the speed limit, while another 15% said they go 16-29 mph (26-47 km/h) over.
