[hciman77]

Hello,
recently I was involved in a rear-end accident, my fault. Since nobody was hurt and the car I rear-ended was only slightly nicked (the driver didnt pursue this with the insurance company and neither did I) the police officer attempted to find the smallest offence for the ticket. I received the summons and pleaded gulity by post paying the fine.

I just got back notice that I have received 2 points on my license for

section 3361 "TOO FAST FOR CONDITIONS"

This is my first traffic violation ever and of course my first since moving to the USA. I have been continually insured with State Farm since 9/1/1998 - by the time of the conviction 9/26/2007 I had been with them over nine years.

Sadly the incident occured on 8/26/2007 6 days before the 9th anniversary of my policy start date.

I know that State Farm have some kind of accident forgiveness for 9 years without claims, and it was not a chargeable accident i.e I didnt claim. Is it likely that State Farm will increase my premium for this - according to the info I have seen they could up my premiums by 45% for just 2 points.

I had heard a rumour that some Insurance Companies have a "let it go" attitude for first minor tickets, is this true in practice ?

 

[mrarroyo]

I sure hope you are not let go. I also hope you learn and next time get a lawyer to fight the ticket, you come out ahead since now you are faced w/ additional premiums (at best) plus you had to pay the fine and court cost.

 

[grawk]

Spoken like a lawyer

Most insurance companies will let the first ticket go, and too fast for conditions should meet that requirement.

 

[hciman77]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrarroyo /img/forum/go_quote.gif I sure hope you are not let go. I also hope you learn and next time get a lawyer to fight the ticket, you come out ahead since now you are faced w/ additional premiums (at best) plus you had to pay the fine and court cost.

I chose not to fight the ticket since it was undoubtedly my fault. The car I hit was only very slighly nicked and nobody was hurt. In general I am a fairly safe driver, no other accidents in over 23 years of driving, I dont speed excessively and I am not aggressive. I made a mistake, I was merging onto a slip road and was paying too much attention to traffic on my left and failed to notice that the car in front of me had stopped, my fault surely but it was a 10mph knock at worst. A 45% increase for a slight bump with no injuries seems a bit excessive.

 

[Blitzula]

Can't you go to traffic school and get the points off your record?

 

[Prozakk]

Switch insurance companies.

 

[electrathecat]

Definitely switch insurance companies.

Also, make sure you stay on the right side of the road!

 

[jbloudg20]

Fight every ticket.

 

[Febs]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prozakk /img/forum/go_quote.gif Switch insurance companies.

Quote:

Originally Posted by electrathecat /img/forum/go_quote.gif Definitely switch insurance companies.

I'm curious as to why you two think that this will help? His record is more likely to be pulled and checked by an underwriter writing a new policy than someone doing a renewal.

 

[RYCeT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbloudg20 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Fight every ticket.

X 2.
You only have to sacrifice your time in Traffic court and most of the time, the judge will give you options to payt the fine but no points attached. It's worth the time to keep points from your license. I doubt they will increase your premium but if they do, it's time for you to shop for another insurance company. Try Geico, I have great service & great rates from them.

 

[warubozu]

I too doubt that your premium will go up. Nearly nine years of a spotless record with the same insurer and no claims flile against them on your record, I think it's quite possible they'll cut you some slack. If not you can try and talk to your agent and maybe work something out.

 

[grawk]

The only way fighting most tickets makes sense (without a lawyer) is if your time is worth very little.

 

[GAD]

I just got nailed for "passing on the right" which was a BS charge for a long story that I'd rather not type out. Suffice to say it was BS. The purpose of my ticket was to raise revenue for the town. They stood on the side of the road and pulled people out of the line of cars. I got 4 points.

I was inundated with offers from law firms. The whole thing was sickening. I asked what they would do, then went and did it myself.

In this town (all in NJ from what I understand), you can pay the court a "surcharge" to lower your points. $100/point. They'd rather have the money than the points on your license.

At least in NJ, it's worth it to fight every ticket. Yeah it takes up time, but it was cheaper than three years of surcharges.

I also went and got myself a Valentine One radar detector. I'm a very safe driver - never had an accident, actually took defensive driving classes etc., but here in the Garden State, where the Governor is above the law, it's good to know where the traps are ahead of time...

OK I'm done.

GAD

GAD

 

[error401]

By fighting legitimate tickets you're charging the general public in your region probably 10x what you owe for administrative time wasted in the court system. Us honest people appreciate it, really

.

Yes, you can scam the system, but you're just scamming yourself and everyone else that pays for the same system. If you screwed up, just act like an adult, fess up, and pay the fine that you owe.

Props to the OP for doing the right thing.

In my jurisdiction, just a traffic infraction won't change your premiums. You 'earn' a point each year you don't have an accident where you are deemed at fault, which each reduce your premiums around 5%, to a maximum of 40%. If someone makes a claim against your insurance and you are found at fault, you lose a couple points and your premiums go up accordingly (you can have negative points). You always have the option of paying the other party's claim out of pocket and keeping your points, regardless of fault.

 

[RYCeT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grawk /img/forum/go_quote.gif The only way fighting most tickets makes sense (without a lawyer) is if your time is worth very little.

Did you even consider the price to pay a surcharge on your insurance premium for 3 years. Even a $100.00 surcharge which I doubt since they will charge you more, will cost you $300.00 in 3 years. Going to traffic court will cost you 3 hours of your time. $100/hour sounds good to me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by error401 /img/forum/go_quote.gif By fighting legitimate tickets you're charging the general public in your region probably 10x what you owe for administrative time wasted in the court system. Us honest people appreciate it, really . Yes, you can scam the system, but you're just scamming yourself and everyone else that pays for the same system. If you screwed up, just act like an adult, fess up, and pay the fine that you owe. Props to the OP for doing the right thing. In my jurisdiction, just a traffic infraction won't change your premiums. You 'earn' a point each year you don't have an accident where you are deemed at fault, which each reduce your premiums around 5%, to a maximum of 40%. If someone makes a claim against your insurance and you are found at fault, you lose a couple points and your premiums go up accordingly (you can have negative points). You always have the option of paying the other party's claim out of pocket and keeping your points, regardless of fault.

Maybe the way they do things is different up there.

But accusing someone who contest their ticket = scammer, well I take offense on that. If you want to get screwed by your insurance, be my guest