Will a “Fix-It Ticket” Affect Your Auto Insurance Rates?

Auto insurance and traffic tickets go hand in hand when it comes to your premiums and how much you pay. Let’s face it, get one speeding ticket and you’ll have a good clue your premium will be higher at renewal time. Unfortunately, most car insurance companies don’t need much of an excuse to sock it to you following a minor accident or moving violation. They watch you like a hawk…and swoop down on you at the first sign of a traffic infraction.

That’s why being on your best behavior when behind the wheel of your vehicle definitely has its advantages. Not only do you keep yourself and other drivers safe, but you can also save money on your auto insurance by keeping a clean driving record. While this all sounds great on the surface, it’s not as easy as it sounds. Sometimes things happen – sometimes within our control – sometimes beyond. Of course, we don’t have to speed, use the HOA lane when carrying only one person or make an illegal U-turn. Those are inexcusable infractions.

However, there are certain infractions that are more or less excusable. These are popularly known as “Fix-It Tickets”, also called correctible violations. Traffic citations that fall under this category are broken taillights or headlights, auto registration offenses, such as expired tags, tinted windows darker than allowed, and a number of other considered minor violations. Motorists who have never been stopped for a fix-it ticket tend to initially overreact. They immediately assume, because they were pulled over while driving, that they’re facing a major rate hike on their car insurance.

Actually, while a fix-it ticket shouldn’t be taken lightly, since you’re expected to correct what you were ticketed for in the specified amount of time, if you repair or renew what you were cited for…the violation goes away once you prove the work’s been done to the court’s satisfaction. Your insurance company will not be notified, no points will appear on your driving record, and your auto insurance rates won’t go up as a result of it.

Having said that, it must be pointed equally out that, if you decide it’s not worth the trouble and ignore it, you’ll find yourself in a very uncomfortable position. For example, if you don’t attend on your assigned court date, the court, at its discretion, can levy a fine. At which point, should you continue to ignore the court and the fine, you’ll be subject to a bench warrant for failure to appear…and, you’ll probably have all of your driving privileges taken away and your license suspended for a period of time.

Once this happens, you’ll also be looking at getting a number of points on your driving record, which your insurer will see…and, that, will subsequently lead to higher insurance premiums.

So, if you get pulled over and you’re informed it’s a fix-it ticket…make the repairs or corrections within the time allotted or ask for an extension. Forgetting or ignoring to follow through will only cause you a carload of unnecessary problems.

You also don’t want to forget to check that you’re getting the best rate on your auto insurance. Why not get a free auto insurance quote today?