How a Speeding Ticket Impacts Your Insurance in Oregon

Overall, State Farm, USAA, and Country Financial tend to have the cheapest average rates for full coverage in Oregon after a speeding ticket. Each company uses its own formula to determine rates, so it’s worth shopping around with several companies to see who offers you the best deal.

Many factors besides your driving record affect car insurance rates, such as your credit score, age, gender, and marital or domestic partnership status, so take these averages with a grain of salt.

There are several ways you can get cheap car insurance in Oregon with a speeding ticket on your record.

1. Take an approved traffic‑school or defensive driving course. Oregon’s Traffic School Diversion program can result in ticket dismissal, meaning no conviction, protecting you from insurer notification.²
2. Sign up for a telematics program. If you generally drive safely, a telematics program can help you save 10 to 15 percent or more on your car insurance premiums.
3. Adjust your coverage strategically. If you’re carrying full coverage and want to save, consider switching to minimum required liability—this can be significantly cheaper, although you’ll forgo comprehensive/collision protection. You can also increase your deductible or drop extras (e.g. roadside assistance, rental coverage) to trim costs.
4. Bundle policies: Bundle multiple policies under the same provider for savings. Home and auto insurance bundles (whether you own or rent) is a common bundle.
5. Join the Automobile Insurance Plan of Oregon: If you can’t find affordable insurance, Oregon will place you in an assigned risk pool and find an insurance provider that has to cover you by law.³ This is a last resort typically reserved for individuals with a history of violations that are more severe than a speeding ticket, like a DUI. Talk to an insurance agent or broker to get connected, or contact the Western Association of Automobile Insurance Plans (WAAIP) directly.

• Email address: waaip@aipso.com
• Fax number: 800-827-6260
• Mailing address:

Western Association Automobile Insurance Plans
P.O. Box 7917
San Francisco, California 97104

• Phone number: 800-227-4659⁴
• Office hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. PT

Oregon has statewide speeding laws for its highways, and each city has its own penalties for speeding on local roads. In this section, we’ll focus on the state penalties for speeding, which is a violation that only includes a fine.

If you’re caught speeding, you’ll first need to pay the presumptive fine issued by the police officer who pulled you over. Then, you can decide how to plead.

• Guilty: If you plead guilty, the judge will sentence you immediately and take your previous driving record into account. In local courts, the judge will determine the fine or assessments. For violations that occurred on state highways, the amount is predetermined and you’ll be able to pay your bill online at https://www.courts.oregon.gov/services/online/Pages/epay.aspx.
• Not guilty: If you plead not guilty, it means you either deny that you were violating the law or you had a justifiable reason for doing so. You may or may not have to go to trial in front of a judge, present evidence, and call witnesses.⁶ Check your ticket to see whether a trial is mandatory.
• No contest: If you plead no contest, you’re not admitting guilt, but you are waiving your right to a trial. Instead, the judge will assess your fine independently.

Speeding isn’t the only violation in Oregon that increases the cost of car insurance. Other moving violations to avoid include:

• Failure to:
  • Obey traffic patrol member
  • Yield to pedestrians
  • Yield to an emergency vehicle or ambulance
  • Stop for bus safety lights
• Vehicular assault
• Careless driving
• Reckless driving
• Open container policy
• Driving while license is suspended or revoked⁷

A bad driving history will raise your car insurance rates regardless of your ZIP code in Oregon. When you compare rates from multiple car insurance companies, include the same demographic information each time, as quotes based on different information will be inaccurate.

In Oregon, a speeding ticket will raise your insurance premiums by an average of 22 percent. The best insurance companies for a speeding ticket in Oregon are State Farm, USAA (for military members and veterans), and the regional Country Financial. If your premiums go up after a speeding ticket, you can lower them by asking your insurance company about potential discounts, bundling policies if you don’t already, and opting into a telematics program.