Car ownership is an important way to maintain flexibility and freedom in your everyday life. Buying your own vehicle allows you to reliably make it to work daily, transport your family members to doctor’s appointments and run errands without calling a taxi.
Car payments and insurance are significant costs that must be factored into your budget, but in many cases, they can be more cost-effective than paying for a car service every time you need to leave the house.
One thing that will increase your car insurance rates, however, are traffic tickets and convictions. Read on to find out the difference between the two and how they will affect your insurance.
- A traffic ticket — also called a citation — is a notice that you have been cited for an offense such as speeding or driving under the influence
- A conviction means you have been found guilty of the offense- this goes on your driving record.
- Your insurance rates will go up as a result of traffic convictions.
What’s the difference between a citation and a conviction?
A traffic citation is not the same as a conviction. A ticket means you have been cited for an offense, while a conviction means you have been found guilty of the violation. When you receive a ticket, you can plead guilty and be convicted or fight the citation in court.
- If you pay a fine — you’re pleading guilty — you are convicted of the speeding offense, which goes on your driving record. If you go to court and fight the ticket and are found guilty in court, you are also convicted of the offense. After a loss in court and conviction, the ticket is placed on your driving record and counts as a moving violation conviction.
- If you fight the traffic ticket and are found not guilty or otherwise get the ticket dismissed, it is not a moving violation conviction and does not go on your record. If you pay the ticket, you are pleading guilty, and thus it becomes a conviction, and the traffic offense is listed on your motor vehicle record (MVR).
So, if you received a speeding ticket and paid it without going to court, you pled guilty and thus were found guilty of speeding. The violation is recorded on your MVR, which your insurance company can see when it pulls your MVR at renewal time.
What’s a citation?
A citation, also called a ticket, is the written notice you receive that you did something wrong. This is given by the police officer who stops you in traffic. For instance, if you were speeding or ran a red light, the police officer will give you a ticket or written warning for the offense. You can pay the fine or request a hearing to fight it in court.
There are more severe citations, such as DUI (driving under the influence) which, in most states, will require you to go to court. Paying the fine associated with a citation affects your insurance rates, as this is an admission of guilt.
What’s a conviction?
A conviction occurs when you are found guilty of the offense for which you received the citation. For example, getting a speeding ticket and paying the fine is an admission of guilt and a conviction. You are also guilty if you go to court for a DUI hearing.
Convictions go on your driving record and affect your insurance rates.
What are the types of citations?
There are three types of traffic citations: Warnings, fines and penalties, and misdemeanors and felonies. A citation means you’ll be paying more for your car insurance, but how much will depend on the type and severity of the ticket you received from the police.
- Warnings: A written warning will not appear on your driving record, but you should immediately fix the problem you were pulled over for.
- Fines and penalties: If the police issue you a citation, you can plead guilty and pay the fine, plead not guilty and contest the charge in court or pursue a deferral and pay a fine. The exact course of action you may take depends on your state.
- Misdemeanors and felonies: For serious traffic violations (hit-and-runs, DUI), you must go to court and plead guilty or not guilty. If convicted, you’ll pay hefty fines and could face driver’s license suspension and jail time.
What to do if you get a citation or conviction
If you get a citation, you have two options. You can pay the associated fine, which will be an admission of guilt. The offense will go on your driving record. Or, you can request a hearing to fight the charges. You will then have to appear in court.
If you have a conviction — have been found guilty of the offense in court — but you disagree with the outcome, you can appeal that decision. However, it’s difficult to get a conviction overturned.
How do tickets affect my insurance rate?
How much your insurance cost will increase after a ticket depends on a variety of factors, such as whether you have other moving violations on your record, the severity of the violation, and the insurer’s rating system. At the least, you’ll lose your good driver discount for years, which will cost you when it’s time to pay your insurance bill.
The average increase from major insurance companies for one speeding ticket is an increase of 34%, paying a rate of $2,556 per year for full coverage. See the differences in rates from major insurance companies in the table below after one or two speeding tickets.
| Company | Annual premium | $ increase | % increase |
| Allstate | $2,967 | $456 | 18% |
| Farmers | $3,688 | $879 | 31% |
| Geico | $2,170 | $814 | 60% |
| Nationwide | $2,193 | $663 | 43% |
| Progressive | $2,707 | $723 | 36% |
| State Farm | $1,998 | $326 | 19% |
| Travelers | $2,655 | $787 | 42% |
| USAA | $1,510 | $247 | 20% |
Learn more about how much your insurance goes up after a speeding ticket
How long will a citation stay on my record?
The time a citation stays on your record depends on the type of violation and your state of residence. Speeding tickets typically stay on your record for three to five years, but a DUI can stay for five years to life. Additionally, according to recent CarInsurance.com data, your insurance cost can increase up to 283% on average.
Final thoughts: Citation vs. conviction
Your car insurance rate is likely to increase if you have a moving violation that results in a conviction. Come renewal time, shop around to ensure you get the best price.
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Resources & Methodology
Sources
Insurance Information Institute. “Reckless Behavior on the Roads Is Dangerous – and Can Mean Higher Auto Insurance Rates for Drivers.” Accessed March 2024.
Methodology
CarInsurance.com commissioned 2023 data from Quadrant Information Services for a 40-year-old male and female driver with full coverage insurance (100/300/100 coverage limits with a $500 deductible) on a Honda Accord LX. The problem reports pulled were for speeding 30+ over the limit, speeding tickets 1-10 MPH over the limit, and speeding tickets 11-29 MPH over the limit. Quadrant analyzed 5,000,736 insurance quotes in 1,467 ZIP codes.
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