Do Parking Tickets Affect Insurance?

There are many different types of automobile tickets, and some of them have different consequences and impacts on your life. Many people worry parking tickets they have received will raise their automobile insurance premiums, but there are more details they should know. Police officers give parking tickets because people have parked the wrong space or at meters where the timer ran out before they could return to it. Parking tickets are not considered moving violations, and therefore they cannot be counted against your driving record.

While parking tickets cannot affect your automobile insurance premiums, if you have unpaid parking tickets, you can risk more substantial fines in addition to the initial ticket cost. When people have parked illegally more than once or let tickets go unpaid for too long, they can be quite costly. With fines that can double or triple after specific periods, you could be issued a bench warrant to appear in court. It is also possible for you to have your automobile towed in some cities.

Other fees that can be incurred when fines like parking tickets are not paid include costs for the towing of your automobile, having your driver’s license suspended or revoked, or increased automobile insurance premiums. Keep in mind that it is not the parking ticket itself that is the reason for an increase in car insurance premiums, but rather the failure to pay the tickets. By failing to fulfill your obligation to pay local government money that you owe related to your infraction, your car insurance rates can change. Auto insurance providers view the failure to pay automobile tickets as an indicator of increased risk.

What Kind Of Parking Tickets Does The Government Issue?

There are multiple types of parking tickets, but they all fall into two specific categories. Parking tickets can be on private lots or private property, and these tickets are treated differently than those that are government-issued.

Types Of Parking Tickets

There are numerous types of parking tickets, including parking tickets for expired meters, parking in commercial zones, parking in handicapped spaces, double parking, parking in red zones, failure to comply with parking signs, and parking too close to crosswalks, fire hydrants, and more. In addition, during cited street sweeping times or trash pickup times, signs making parking against the law can be posted. Other types of parking tickets include tickets for exceeding the maximum time limits of parking in a certain area or parking more than 18 inches from the curb. Parking against the flow of traffic can also result in a ticket.

Which Traffic Tickets Affect Car Insurance Prices?

There are many different types of tickets that can have an effect on car insurance prices, in addition to the consequences of failure to pay for parking tickets. The most likely tickets to affect auto insurance prices include speeding tickets, distracted driving tickets, reckless driving tickets, driving under the influence, and other moving violations of such as failure to yield. Many of these tickets will remain on your record for 3 to 5 years. Even if you get a ticket that affects your car insurance prices, as your automobile insurance plan runs out, you should compare prices with multiple companies. Each car insurance provider uses different formulas to determine car insurance policy rates, meaning that you may be able to get a better price elsewhere. Use American Insurance and get free quotes on car insurance today.