InsuranceHotline.com conducted a survey to identify the best method of getting yourself out of the police issuing you a ticket. If the police officer doesn't buy your plea bargain, your insurance rates could skyrocket. The only way to ensure that you find which companies offer the lowest price is to do an online rate search.
InsuranceHotline.com offers free rate searches for consumers. This article discusses the impact tickets can have on your car insurance rates.
Pulled Over - Do you beg, cry or lie when you're pulled over by the police?
Don't do any of these things, and especially don't conduct a curb side trial. The officer has already decided you did something wrong, or he wouldn't have pulled you over. And he's heard it all before.
A survey conducted by InsuranceHotline.com found the best strategy to use in talking your way out of a ticket is to humble yourself... Be polite, admit your guilt, and ask for forgiveness. And getting the police officer to crack a smile doesn't hurt.
If you're planning to fight the ticket in court, it's not in your interest to tip off the police officer by saying "I'll see you in court". All that will do is tip him off to make sure he has his notes clear and in order.
If you're offensive towards the officer, this triggers his suspicion that you might be hiding something, prolonging the encounter, and you may end up with multiple tickets. Be brief and professional.
A common question for the officer to ask is, "Do you know why you were pulled over?" Many drivers offer a reason saying, "Was it because I was speeding?" or "I wasn't wearing my seatbelt." The officer could have pulled you over to tell you your brake light was out. Through the "power of suggestion" you might find yourself receiving multiple tickets.
Say "NO" if you're asked this question. Trust me, the officer knows why he pulled you over; so let him do his job and tell you.
Tickets, Tickets, Tickets
Most drivers don't realize that being ticketed for not having your driver's license with you holds as much weight as being ticketed for speeding when it comes to your insurance rates.
Beware Drivers: Say you're pulled over for speeding, and you're in the lanes reserved for vehicles with 2 or more passengers. You'd get a ticket for speeding, and a ticket for being in this lane.
If you didn't have your seat belt on, and your insurance card with you, that's 2 more tickets. If you happen to have a dirty license plate obstructing its view, that's another ticket. That's 5 tickets!!!
A friend of mine was pulled over and issued 7 tickets at one time. Did you know that you could be ticketed for each passenger not wearing their seat belt, under 16 years of age?!?!
Tickets On Your Record: Tickets will affect your insurance rate for 3 long years.
If you have a ticket, or two, and get into an accident, the combination can cause your insurance company to cancel you.
Ticket Timing: The date you got the ticket isn't relevant to your insurance company. This is because, if you go to court, and win, there's no ticket to count against you. The relevant date is the date you are convicted. The conviction date is the date you paid the court for that ticket.
Beware Campers: Did you know that if you are using your car to sit in at your camp site while having a drink, you could be ticketed for drinking and driving?
Beware Boaters: If you're ticketed for drinking while operating your boat, a DUI will appear on your driving record and affect your car insurance rate.
Parking Tickets: Don't worry. These do not affect your insurance rate.
Look at this rate example. This shows the "lowest" to "highest" quotes from 30 insurance company rates. There are $1,000's of dollars difference between insurance company rates. If you have a ticket, or two, you need to do a search for the lowest insurance rates through InsuranceHotline.com.
30 year old, driving a 2005 Honda, Civic
Driving Record Lowest Rate Highest Rate Rate Difference
Clean Record $1,563 $3,611 $2,048
1 Ticket $1,761 $4,007 $2,464
2 Tickets $1,943 $4,758 $2,815
3 Tickets $3,207 $5,136 $1,929
4 Tickets $3,938 $6,312 $2,374
5 Tickets $4,544 $7,016 $2,472
1 Ticket & 1 Accident $3,549 $9,934 $6,385
2 Tickets & 1 Accident $3,718 $10,419 $6,701
2 Tickets $ 2 Accidents $4,977 $14,419 $9,442
