Home  |  Contact Us  |  Site Map  |  Company Overview
Speeding Tickets
 
 
 
 
Enter Zip Code
Imagine it: you're late for work, and there's an important meeting that you have to attend. The road is relatively clear, so you put your foot down on the accelerator and pretend not to see it when your speed tops the local limit by more than the usual five mile-per-hour leeway generally given. You're within blocks of your destination when you see the red and blue lights behind you, and hear the siren. You pull over, give the officer your best smile and most sincere apology, and even though no one was hurt, you get a traffic ticket and end up being later to that meeting than you would have been if you hadn't sped up in the first place.

Before you pay the ticket, take a moment and give your insurance agent a call. Why? Because sometimes a ticket can cost far more than the fine imposed. In come cases, it can affect your insurance rates, and in some states (New Jersey, New York and Texas, for example) there are surcharges for three years, even when the driver is from out of state. If you're a safe driver and you have only one ticket, chances are that your insurance won't suffer much, but if you have more than that, the situation is much more dire. A person with four speeding tickets in the last three years (and 9 points on his or her license) may be refused the ability to drive a company car without supplemental insurance, which the company will not pay for, and if you are a commercial truck driver, having more than one traffic ticket on your record, even if none were for serious infractions, you may be dropped by your carrier, and forced to find more expensive insurance for high risk drivers.

All of this is pretty scary, especially when you consider how much of a driving culture we are. Unless you live in the heart of San Francisco or New York, chances are that you can't even run out for milk without using your car, and if a teen driver is ticketed for speeding, rates can soar even higher than if an adult is caught - as much as $1,000 / year for the three years the ticket remains on record.

So what can you do?

- First, call your insurance company before you make any decisions. They'll be able to tell you if one ticket will impact your insurance rate, or not.

- Second, call the clerk of court for your area, and ask about traffic school. In most states you can essentially "erase" a ticket from your record by sitting through a class, and in those places where you cannot wipe the record, at least having a defensive driving school credit may help offset any insurance rate increase. (Out of state tickets are generally transferred to your local court, and will follow those rules.)

- Third, click back to LookForLoan.com, because we offer quotes from companies who will work with you even with tickets on your driving record.

Getting caught speeding is frustrating, but it doesn't have to be a financial crisis as well. Just remember: Call, class, click.

copyright 2008 lookforloan.com