How do tickets impact my auto insurance?
If you’ve been driving for a long time, you’re probably aware as to how it feels when you open up your mailbox and find a letter addressed by your city’s police force. Getting a ticket – no matter what kind or for what violation – is never a good feeling. Besides having to pay for your ticket, which can rack into the hundreds of dollars (depending on the scale of the conviction) you’ll also potentially see impacts on your auto insurance. Yes, getting tickets can impact your auto insurance.
Why is this? Well, your driving record is a huge factor into how much you’ll pay for your insurance coverage. Having tickets can impact your driving record, depending on the type of ticket that you have received. In this article, we’ll explore the impact that various kinds of convictions may have on your auto insurance, as well as some tips/advice to keep your rates manageable!
Here’s how different types of “convictions” may impact your auto insurance
Not all tickets will impact your insurance the same way and, in fact, some types of tickets (such as parking tickets) may not affect your insurance at all. There’s three categories of convictions: minor convictions, major, and criminal. Let’s break it down.
Minor convictions are for offenses like not wearing a seatbelt or going over the speed limit by a small amount. Speeding is a tricky conviction, because it can range between minor and criminal – depending on how far over the speed limit you were. Typically, minor convictions will result in fewer demerit points and reduced fine fees. Even so, they may still affect your insurance. If you currently have a conviction-free discount, you’ll see that stripped once you receive a ticket and you won’t have that reduction upon your next renewal time. You may qualify for the purchasing of a minor conviction protection, which will provide you one “freebie” where a single conviction won’t raise your rates.
Major convictions can reward you with increased premiums for up to 3 years, and the fines for these convictions can be quite expensive. They’re for things like speeding in a school zone, stunt driving, forging insurance documents, etc. If you’ve had a major conviction, you might not be eligible to purchase insurance from every insurance company out there – you’ll have to go through a high-risk market. For young drivers with major convictions, insurance can be very expensive.
Criminal convictions are the most serious convictions of all. They include things like drunk driving, hit-and-runs, careless driving causing injury or damages, etc. With criminal convictions, you’ll likely see your license suspended for a period of time, so you won’t be able to drive until your suspension has been lifted. Having a license suspension can seriously affect your insurance rating. You’ll have to go through high-risk insurance carriers and, if you’ve got any other infraction in conjunction with the criminal conviction, you’ll be forced to go with purchasing “Facility Insurance.”
Do parking tickets impact my insurance?
No. Parking tickets do not impact your insurance, but there will be complications with your coverage if you fail to pay them in time (as you’ll be unable to renew your sticker and plate.) This is because they aren’t classed as moving violations, and only moving violations can affect your insurance. You can receive parking tickets for any number of reasons in Canada, including:
- Parking in an accessible parking space without having an accessible parking permit
- Parking too close to a fire hydrant
- Surpassing the meter time limit when using a parking meter
- Parking in an area that is marked as no-parking
Parking tickets can range in cost, between $40-$500, depending on the severity of the infraction. What province you live in will also affect the overall cost. You will be required to pay the parking ticket in full within 15 days of the incident having occurred.
How long does a ticket or infraction stay on my record?
An infraction will remain on your driving record for 3 years following the date of conviction. The date of conviction is not the date that the ticket was issued but rather when you plead guilty and pay the fine. That is the date that insurance companies will use. Obviously, if you try to fight a ticket but are found guilty regardless, that will prolong the conviction date.
Here’s how to get reasonable insurance rates even with convictions
If you’ve had a few minor convictions, or even a major one, all is not lost. Auto insurance is mandatory, and you are legally required in the province of Quebec to carry it. Unfortunately, the amount of convictions you’ve had and tickets you’ve received can severely impact your rates and even make it more difficult to get insured. How can you offset this? There’s a few ways you can reduce your rates, like bundling policies, raising your deductible, shopping around for lower rates with a broker, etc., but if you’ve been labeled a high-risk driver, you’ll need an expert auto insurance broker to help. Get in touch with Panda7 if you have any further questions about how your tickets are affecting your insurance, how to offset these costs, and if high-risk auto insurance might be the solution for you.
