How A Speeding Ticket Impacts Car Insurance In Texas
Looking into the rearview mirror and seeing red and blue flashing lights is not a welcome experience for any driver, especially if your foot was a bit heavy on the pedal. But a speeding ticket is not always an insurance rate death sentence.
As a fellow Texan, I have used my nine years of experience as a licensed insurance agent to help fellow drivers find auto insurance that will battle the effects of a speeding ticket. There are ways to find affordable auto insurance after a ticket, let me show you how a speeding ticket affects your auto insurance in Texas.
Key Takeaways
Drivers can pay their fine, fight their ticket, or take a defensive driving course when they receive a speeding ticket.
When drivers choose to take a defensive driving course in Texas to keep a ticket off their record, they have 90 days to make their plea of no contest.
Insurance rates will increase after a speeding ticket in Texas, but there are ways to keep your rates low after an infraction.
Do Speeding Tickets Affect Insurance In Texas?
As a driver, everything you do behind the wheel has an impact on your car insurance cost. We already know an accident will lead to an increase in your premium. However, it is important to understand that even just one speeding ticket can affect insurance in Texas, by an average of 13%.
How A Speeding Ticket Impacts Your Insurance In Texas
Keeping a clean record helps drivers with their insurance premiums. However, one infraction can lead to an increase in the cost of car insurance. Sometimes dramatically, depending on the insurance company.
Below are some examples of how just one speeding ticket can impact your insurance cost. See how the differences vary between companies.
| Provider | Clean Record | Speeding Ticket | Increase |
| Allstate | $3034 | $3059 | 1% |
| Nationwide | $1860 | $2016 | 8% |
| State Farm | $1713 | $1924 | 12% |
| National General | $2096 | $2590 | 24% |
| Mercury | $1837 | $2607 | 42% |
Insurance costs will also vary depending on factors such as your driving history, where you live, sex, and claim history. When you submit a claim for speeding, this can impact these factors in different ways, especially due to the severity of the speeding ticket. The higher the severity of the infraction, meaning other violations involved with the speeding ticket, the more dramatic the increase can be.
WHEN YOU KNOW YOU KNOW: Nine out of ten drivers admit to speeding even though nearly 90% know that it is wrong.
How To Lower Your Premiums After A Ticket
For the most part, after you have received a speeding ticket, your rates will see an increase. However, you will not see that increase until you renew your insurance policy. In Texas, your infraction will remain on your record for three years. With some companies up to five.
Here are some ways to help you lower your premiums after a ticket:
Lower Your Coverage Levels
While this is not always an option if you are under a lease and bound to maintain full coverage, one way to see a lower premium after a ticket is to increase your deductible. Just remember that should you file a claim, you will be paying more out of pocket.
If you own your vehicle and it’s older, consider dropping Comprehensive and Collision. Just know that if you are in an accident, your coverage will only cover the other party. Comp and Collision are the portions of your policy that cover your injuries and personal vehicle.
Search For Discounts
Talk with the insurance company about discounts you may qualify for. If you have homeowners insurance or renters, consider bundling as this brings discounts. Others can come from taking a defensive driving course, being part of certain organizations, or military member, and driving below a certain annual mileage.
Defensive Driving Courses
We just mentioned this one under discounts but want to mention it again because taking a defensive driving course can help you, especially after incurring a speeding ticket. It could show an insurance company you are serious about correcting poor driving habits.
Shop Around
Car insurance is not uniform, nor are the ramifications of a speeding ticket. As we saw above each company increased rates differently. If you incur a speeding ticket and at your renewal your increase is dramatic, shop around. Another company may be more willing to work with your infraction.
Of course, maintaining a clean record will help you in the future. If you get another ticket within those three years it will reset your clock, and you will be facing even higher rates because you are now an even higher risk to insure.
TIME INFRACTIONS: If you get four or more violations in a twelve-month period your license will be suspended, or seven or more in a twenty-four-month period.
Does A First-Time Speeding Ticket Affect Insurance?
A first-time speeding ticket and how it affects your insurance premium will depend on the auto insurer. Some companies will see you as high risk while others will consider that life happens and lessons are learned and your rates may not see much of an increase at all, such as companies that have accident forgiveness.
CONSEQUENCES: Speeds below 10 MPH are classified as Class C Misdemeanors; Speeds up to and exceeding 25, or reckless driving, are Class B and A Misdemeanors.
How To Find Affordable Insurance After A Speeding Ticket
This may require some footwork as each insurance company treats each situation and each driver differently.
- A teenage driver with a speeding ticket will most likely be treated differently than a thirty-year-old with the same violation.
- A driver with two violations will experience less leniency than a first-time offender. According to one rate analysis, a driver can see an increase of 43% after a second offense.
- A driver with a ticket going five miles over the limit may have their violation not count against them, but reckless driving, or driving over 20 miles per hour over the limit, could raise rates on a policy.
Some of the best methods to find affordable insurance after getting a speeding ticket are:
Reducing Your Coverage To Liability Only
Carrying full coverage can be expensive after a speeding ticket. Unless you are under a lease and your contract states you must carry full coverage, reduce your coverage to a manageable level. True, you may lose coverage that protects your vehicle in the event of an accident or theft, but you will find your monthly rate more affordable.
Taking A Defensive Driving Course
Insurance companies look favorably upon drivers who take action upon their mistakes, especially when it comes to speeding tickets. A defensive driving course will not only prove that you are serious about correcting your behavior, but it can also help with your insurance rates.
Change Insurance Companies
Not all insurance companies are created equal. One company will penalize you for speeding more harshly, while another will offer you a second chance. Shop around after you have received a speeding ticket if your current company has raised your rates due to your one infraction.
It is important to remember that each insurance is different; compare apples to apples. Then you can employ one of the above suggestions to lower your premium after a ticket.
What To Do After Getting A Speeding Ticket
When you receive your speeding ticket you can do two things, pay the ticket and deal with the ramifications, or you can contest it.
Paying The Ticket
This is fairly straightforward. When you make your court appearance, they will provide you with instructions on how to pay for the ticket. Don’t delay or you will have fees upon that fine. If you wait too long a warrant can be issued for your arrest. Alternatively, you can pay online at the Texas Department Of Public Safety.
Contesting The Ticket
If you choose to fight the ticket, that is your choice. You would plead not guilty at your court appearance and a court date will be set at that time. You can represent yourself or hire an attorney. If you are found not guilty, your ticket will be dismissed. If you are found guilty you will be assessed your fee, and your ticket will go on your record.
There is also a third option, deferred disposition. You plead no contest and pay your fine. You are then put on probation and if you do not receive a ticket for speeding within the time period agreed upon, the ticket does not go on your record.
How Long Does A Speeding Ticket Stay On My Record?
A speeding ticket stays on a driver’s record for an average of three to five years, in some states longer. In Texas, it will be about three years. However, certain attributes such as alcohol or other infractions such as driving through a school zone or being in an accident with injuries could cause insurance companies to view your speeding ticket in a different light and lean on the longer time period.
How Much Is A Ticket In Texas?
Texas doesn’t fool around with speeding on their roads; however, it is one of the states that have the least impact on your insurance rates, seeing about a 12 percent increase after one speeding ticket. But what happens when you are fined when other factors are in play such as school and construction zones?
| Fine by MPH over limit | Posted Limit | School Zone | Construction Zone |
| 1 to 5 | $170 | $220 | $235 |
| 6 to 9 | $180 | $235 | $260 |
| 10 to 14 | $200 | $250 | $295 |
| 15 to 19 | $245 | $270 | $380 |
| 20 to 29 | $265 | $295 | $430 |
| 30 plus | $300 | $325 | $500 |
Over thirty miles an hour is considered reckless driving. Reckless driving is treated more seriously than other offenses due to its disregard for traffic laws and endangerment of those on the highway.
Penalties For Speeding
In Texas, a first offense can lead up to a $200 fine. However, if you are a habitual offender, meaning four speeding tickets within a 12-month period, this can lead to a maximum fine of up to $2000, jail time for up to 180 days, or both.
Other penalties in Texas for speeding if you are a repeat offender include:
- Failure to appear before the judge to settle your previous offenses.
- Referral to collections which will affect your credit.
- Denied renewal of your insurance.
- A warrant issued for your arrest.
DANGEROUS FACTOR: According to the NHTSA, speeding was a factor in 29% of accident fatalities in 2022.
FAQs
What is the cheapest car insurance after a speeding ticket?
A car insurance company could see minimal impact after a speeding ticket but still be more expensive than the cheapest car insurance available which would have a higher impact due to a speeding ticket. Our research shows that while Allstate has only a 1 percent increase, it would still be more expensive than Geico insurance which had a 9 percent increase after a speeding ticket.
How do I get a speeding ticket off my insurance?
There are a couple of ways to get a speeding ticket off your insurance. The first way is to simply have better driving habits and allow the three years to pass; it should fall off then. The next way is to fight the ticket. You will appear in court before a judge, if you win the ticket will be dismissed. Another way is to plead no contest and be awarded deferred adjudication. This basically means that you cannot get another ticket within a certain period of time. If you live up to that, the ticket will fall off your record.
Will my insurance company find out about my speeding ticket immediately?
The only way the insurance company will know about your ticket immediately is if you are up for renewal and they check with the motor bureau. If you recently renewed or are in the middle of your policy, the insurance company will not find out about your speeding ticket unless you inform them about it.
