Getting a parking ticket is really annoying, especially if you consider yourself a careful driver. You might be concerned about how receiving a parking ticket will affect the cost of your auto insurance. Do parking tickets affect car insurance?
One or even a few parking tickets typically won’t result in an increase in your insurance rates, especially if you take care of them right away.
Unpaid parking fines, however, can occasionally harm your driving record.
Want to know more about the potential repercussions of parking tickets? Let’s start!
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Parking Tickets Have An Impact On Car Insurance?
Parking tickets won’t have an impact on your insurance rates, you can be sure of that. Parking tickets don’t necessarily indicate that you drive safely. If you have registration suspensions, holds, or if your license is suspended due to unpaid tickets, some insurance companies may not renew it.
How Do Parking Tickets Affect Insurance?
First things first: There are two types of driving violations that can be ticketed, parking or non-moving violations and moving violations. Non-moving violations happen when your car is not being driven, which is pretty much what they sound like.
In most cases, if you take the proper precautions to resolve the ticket or violation, parking and non-moving violations have no impact on your insurance rates. If you fail to pay or resolve parking or non-moving violations, there may be negative effects (although most are unrelated to insurance).
Negative Results From Unpaid Parking Tickets
- The dreaded boot on your tire
- Impounding of the vehicle, which can go to a permanent auction if you are unable to pay (Yes, you’ll still have to pay the tickets before registering any vehicle)
- Collection agencies may be employed by the state, which will affect your credit score
- Suspension of registration, preventing renewal, which then leads to other tickets
- Hold or suspension of your license
- Inability to renew driver’s license
Helpful Tips For Avoiding Parking Tickets
Being picky about where you park your car is your best line of defense against erroneous parking tickets. Search the area for signs and parking meters. Before you put your car in the park:
- Make sure the site allows parking
- Check signs for time limits on parking
- Find out if the area only allows parking during certain times or days of the week
Metered spaces demand a lot of change. You might also use your smartphone to set an alarm to remind you to fill the meter before the timer expires.
Are Parking Tickets A Concern For Your Driving Record?
In most circumstances, parking tickets don’t affect your driving record, as they are not considered a direct reflection of unsafe driving habits. When parking regulations are not followed, parking violations are frequently issued.
However, if you fail to pay for several tickets, things might become a little complicated. Check to see if your state offers a payment plan you can sign up for if you are unable to immediately pay your parking ticket or nonmoving violation.
Types Of Tickets That Can Increase Your Insurance Rates
If non-moving violations don’t count against your driving record, then what types of violations do affect your driving history and insurance rates?
Moving violations—or citations for things like reckless driving, running a red light, or driving under the influence—do put points on your driving record (if you’re in a point-system state) and will increase your car insurance rates, regardless of whether or not your state uses a point system.
Even though each state has its own set of regulations, the following list of infractions—which we’ll go over in more detail below—can affect your insurance rates:
- Driving while intoxicated
- Reckless driving
- Careless driving
- Speeding
- Tailgating
1. Driving While Intoxicated
Driving while intoxicated (DWI) or under the influence (DUI) is illegal and dangerous for you and other drivers and passengers in your car. Getting a DUI can damage your driving record in some states for life—not to mention exponentially increasing your insurance costs.
The average national increase in insurance rates for drivers who receive a DUI is thought to be 74%. If you have had a few drinks, calling a cab can help keep you and other drivers on the road safe while also preventing you from getting a bad driving record and costing you money in the long run.
2. Reckless Driving
Despite the fact that each state may have a different definition of reckless driving, it usually encompasses a wide range of risky driving practices.
For instance, the State of Ohio Revised Code defines reckless and careless driving as any behavior that involves the operation of a “vehicle, trackless trolley, or streetcar on any street or highway in willful or wanton disregard of the safety of persons or property.”.
The language of the laws in your state may differ slightly, but the following is generally true: reckless driving is a more serious offense than careless driving. If you receive a reckless driving ticket, it might appear on your record and possibly raise the price of your auto insurance when it comes time to renew.
3. Careless Driving
When compared to reckless driving, careless driving is frequently a lesser offense, but it still affects your driving record.
Running a red light or failing to use your blinker are examples of careless driving violations, but the distinction between these and other types of traffic violations varies widely. a reckless driving violation will vary based on the state you live in.
The risk that insurance companies assume when insuring you increases as a result of careless driving violations, regardless of where you live or how your state defines it. As a result, your premiums may increase.
4. Speeding
Additionally, receiving a speeding ticket will appear on your driving record and raise your insurance rates. Depending on how much you exceed the speed limit, you may face different penalties. 30 Where you live will affect how serious your violation of the speed limit is and how much the fines are.
Driving over the speed limit can result in a license suspension in some states. You might see your insurance rates rise even more if your license is suspended.
5 Tailgating
While tailgating can often drum up fun memories of your favorite sporting event, it can be dangerous, and potentially expensive, within the context of driving on the road.
You can be ticketed for a moving violation when following another car too closely, aka tailgating. Violations of tailgating appear on your driving record and can raise your auto insurance rates when it comes time to renew. To keep yourself and others safe on the road, keep a safe distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you. Doing otherwise could result in a moving violation, which could incur fines and possibly raise your insurance rates.
How To Stop Parking Tickets From Raising Your Insurance Rates?
It’s likely that if you live in a big city you’ve had at least one parking ticket. Although parking tickets don’t necessarily result in higher insurance rates, there are some steps you can take to make sure they won’t.
For instance, if you think you received a ticket in error because of a damaged “no parking” sign or a broken meter, write to the municipality that issued the ticket and explain the situation. If you’re strapped for cash, talk to the city or county about payment plans. Additionally, you could request a loan from family or friends to pay the fees.
Don’t ignore the ticket, though. These citations may not seem like a big deal at first, but if you wait to pay, you may incur late fees or face other repercussions like the city seizing your car.
Safe Drivers Can Lower Car Insurance Costs!
No one enjoys having to pay more for auto insurance. Fortunately, parking tickets don’t raise the cost of auto insurance. It’s regarded as a non-moving violation and has no bearing on how cautious you drive.
Remember that receiving a parking ticket may result in additional consequences. Failure to pay the fees could lower your credit score, and many insurance companies base premiums in part on credit scores.
Make sure to check out Insurify if you’re looking to reduce your insurance costs. Insurify is a free platform that lets you compare car insurance quotes from top insurance companies at once, saving you time and money.
