We all pay

Do you remember when drivers’ ed was a class offered while you attended high school?
My instructor was also our assistant football coach. He took the time to know his players, so he knew my family drove dump trucks in a rock quarry operation. I was too young to realize he relaxed the standards when it came my turn to practice driving until the day we approached a big curve on Route OO southwest of Odessa.
He simply balanced his cup of iced Coke on his thigh without saying a word. It was full nearly to the brim without any cup cover and he seemed to be conducting some sort of hands off experiment.
Luckily, the road was smooth and the speed I happened to choose allowed us to navigate the entire curve without coach spilling a drop. And that was it. I not only passed the class but my straight “A” qualified for an insurance discount when I finally got my driver’s license.
That was my introduction relating actual driving to insurance cost. What goes through your mind whenever you unexpectedly realize the vehicle you’re driving is being observed by a patrol car? If we’re honest, most of us only relax when the officer has already stopped someone else.
Some of us traveling over the July 4th holiday may now personally realize how the consequences of a traffic ticket varies greatly from state to state. The real impact is not paying the fine but rather paying for car insurance. Did you know, for example, a Pennsylvania driver could pay 13% more for insurance after getting a speeding ticket, while a North Carolina driver could pay 48% more for the same offense?
While cruising the internet recently, I happened across a website that presents research detailing just how much auto insurance costs go up annually, depending on which ticket you get in Missouri specifically. The Zebra has been online for seven years and now declares itself as the nation’s leading insurance comparison website. I don’t know whether that’s true, but I like the concept.
TheZebra.com claims to analyze 61 million unique rates to explore pricing trends across the country. The comparisons are profiled for a 30-year-old single male driving a 2014 Honda Accord EX with a good driving history and “normal” coverage ($50,000 bodily injury liability, $100,000 liability per accident, $50,000 property damage liability). Then driver’s history was changed to include violations in order to obtain rate differences.
The traffic violation with the single biggest impact on car insurance rates is leaving the scene of an accident — a “hit and run.” Drivers charged with this crime can expect to pay on average 82% (or $1,200+) more per year for car insurance.
Getting a ticket for a driving violation can raise your car insurance rate no matter where you live, but the additional costs vary dramatically across state lines.
For example, a drunk or drugged driving violation (DUI) can increase rates 181% ($3,200+) in California, while in Indiana the same offense raises rates only 42% ($480+).
Why? It all comes down to differences in risk, and how insurance is rated and regulated from state to state.
It’s important to remember that some insurance companies may assign lower penalties — or none at all — even in states where drivers tend to see steep cost spikes for violations, so it’s always important to compare insurance quotes.
Insurance penalties after a violation differ from company to company. How heavily you’re penalized for a traffic ticket differs from one insurance company to the next, just like it differs from state to state. While most insurers increase rates for drivers with violations, some may charge you less than others.
The comparisons are exhaustive. But one single conclusion quickly becomes apparent.
Don’t feel lucky as you drive by some unlucky guy stopped by a patrolman who’s writing a ticket. The traffic fine for speeding or forgetting to use your turn signal isn’t the only price paid for breaking the rules of the road. We all pay.

Here are some common tickets and how much they’ll raise car insurance rates annually in Missouri, according to Zebra. Generally, the penalty stays on your car insurance record for three years:
Speeding: $364/year
Driving too slowly: $300/year
Driving with an open container: $652/year
DUI: $801/year
Hit and run: $905/year (That’s a 59% increase in average annual premium for Missouri residents)