How a Speeding Ticket Impacts Your Insurance in Pennsylvania

Car insurance in Pennsylvania rises by an average of 6 percent after a driver gets a speeding ticket. For the average person paying around $1,939 annually, their rate will go up to $2,051.

However, car insurance premiums depend on many factors aside from your driving history, such as your ZIP code and age. You may or may not get comparable rates from different car insurance companies, so request insurance quotes from multiple providers to find the cheapest car insurance.

Although it’s inevitable that your rates will go up after getting a speeding ticket, there are ways to lower your auto insurance costs.

1. Take a driver safety training course. Drivers age 55 and older can get a discount of at least 5 percent if they take a driver improvement course, available once every three years. You can find a list of state-approved courses that will land you a discount here: https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dmv/driver-services/mature-drivers/mature-driver-improvement-course.html.
2. Choose limited tort. Pennsylvania allows you to choose between limited and full tort, of which the former is more affordable. With limited tort, you can sue in a civil suit for your economic losses, but you won’t be able to recover non-economic losses, i.e., compensation for pain and suffering, unless you had a serious injury. In other words, while limited tort may be cheaper, you probably won’t be able to win as much compensation in a civil lawsuit.
3. Raise your deductible. Raising your deductible on collision and comprehensive coverage could lower your premium. Keep in mind you’ll have to pay your deductible amount out of pocket before your insurance kicks in, but if you can afford it, it’s worth considering.
4. Drop coverages. You may not need collision and comprehensive coverage on an old, non-financed car. You can also consider eliminating uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage or other add-ons like roadside assistance, funeral benefits, or loss of income.
5. Reject stacking. Pennsylvania allows “stacking” for uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage (UM/UIM), which means that limit is multiplied by your number of cars, increasing the limit for each vehicle. However, if you choose not to stack your UM/UIM, your premium will be lower.
6. Ask for discounts. Each company offers its own unique discounts; ask your agent which ones apply to you.
7. Join the Assigned Risk Plan. Join Pennsylvania’s Assigned Risk Plan, which all licensed insurance companies in the state must participate in. To get matched with an insurer, call 401-946-2800.¹ The plan assigns policies to high-risk drivers who are unable to find coverage elsewhere — typically, you only need to resort to this option after serious violations, like a DUI.

Aside from raising your car insurance premium, speeding can result in points on your driver’s license, fines, surcharges, and license suspensions.

Points

Speeding will add between two and five points to your driving record, according to PennDOT, the state’s Department of Transportation.³

Fines

On top of points, you’ll also have to pay a fine for speeding—typically a $35 base fine with $2 added for every mile per hour (mph) you were driving over the limit. For example, if you were driving 50 mph in a 35 mph zone, you’d have to pay $65 ($35 + $2*15 miles over the limit).

If you drove 11 mph or more over the limit, your license will be suspended for 15 days automatically. Fines double for speeding in active work zones.⁴

You have two main options when you get a speeding ticket: Plead guilty and pay the fine, or plead not guilty and request a hearing.

Respond to the Citation

Regardless of how you plan to plead, you’ll need to respond to the citation within 10 days, or you could face arrest and license suspension.

Pay the Fine

If you’re pleading guilty, pay the fine, either online) or in person at your local magisterial district court.

Request a Hearing

Your other option, if you dispute the facts of the case, is to plead not guilty and request a hearing.

At the hearing, you can have your own lawyer represent you or a public defender. The police officer who ticketed you and any witnesses will testify, and you can bring your own witnesses and testify yourself. In the end, the judge will decide the case.

If you are found not guilty, the security you posted will be returned to you, but if you’re found guilty, the security will go toward the fines and other charges you’re facing.

Appeal the Decision

If you disagree with the judge’s decision, you can appeal to a common pleas court within 30 days of the ruling. Ask the Clerk of Counts for a Summary Appeal form, and you will have a completely new trial.⁵

While speeding is a common traffic violation, it’s not the only illegal driving behavior in Pennsylvania that can raise your auto insurance costs. The following violations can also bump up your premium:

• Failure to:
  • Stop for a red light or a flashing red light
  • Yield half of the roadway to an oncoming vehicle
  • Yield to the driver at the right of the intersection
  • Yield to the oncoming driver when making a left turn
  • Stop for a stop sign
  • Yield for a yield sign
• Improper passing
• Improper backing
• Careless driving
• Leaving the scene of an accident
• Driving under the influence (DUI)

A speeding violation can be frustrating and discouraging—and it certainly pays in more ways than one to be safe on the road—but getting a ticket doesn’t have to mean the end of affordable insurance. In Pennsylvania, companies like Travelers, Erie, and State Farm tend to have more affordable rates after a speeding ticket. Keep costs down by obeying traffic laws, and if your premiums to spike after a ticket, consider shopping around for a new policy.