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Last updated: May 7, 2025

How a Speeding Ticket Impacts Your Insurance in Pennsylvania

On average, premiums increase by a modest 6 percent with a speeding ticket on your record.

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In 2023, almost a quarter of motor vehicle fatalities in Pennsylvania involved speeding, a total of 280 deaths. Damages and deaths aside, if you’re found guilty of speeding in Pennsylvania, you could face points on your driver’s license, fines, surcharges, a license suspension, and a higher premium for your car insurance.

How Speeding Tickets Affect Auto Insurance Rates 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.

Insurance Company Average with Clean Record Average After Speeding Ticket % Increase
Travelers $992 $1,293 30%
Erie $1,239 $1,306 5%
State Farm $1,400 $1,452 4%
USAA $1,767 $1,928 9%
Nationwide $1,490 $2,377 60%
Allstate $2,323 $2,400 3%
Progressive $2,324 $2,531 9%
GEICO $2,065 $3,302 60%
Statewide average $1,939 $2,051 6%

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.

How to Find Cheap Insurance After a Speeding Ticket

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.

DID YOU KNOW?

An estimated 9.6 percent of drivers in PA are uninsured, lower than the national average of 14 percent.2

Penalties for Speeding in Pennsylvania

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

Miles per hour (mph) over the speed limit or circumstance Points Suspension in days if violation occurs in active work zone Departmental hearing
6-10 2 0 No
11-15 3 15 No
16-25 4 15 No
26-30 5 15 No
31 and over 5 15 Yes
School zone 3 0 If 31 mph or over
Trucks on downgrades 3 0 If 31 mph or over
Emergency response area 2 0 No
Passing disabled vehicle 2 0 No

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

What to Do If You Get Caught Speeding

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

More Traffic Violations Affecting Car Insurance

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)

WARNING:

In Pennsylvania, failing to stop after an accident can be a third-degree misdemeanor if there is property damage only, a third-degree felony if you caused serious personal injury only, or a second-degree felony if you caused a death. Each charge includes a mandatory fine of at least $2,500, plus 90 days to three years or more in jail.

Conclusion

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do speed camera tickets affect insurance in Pennsylvania?

No, speed camera tickets don’t affect insurance in Pennsylvania. While speed camera tickets can currently affect insurance in several states, Pennsylvania is not one of them. They are considered a civil violation, like a parking ticket, and don’t add points to your license or go on your driving record.

Is it worth fighting a speeding ticket in Pennsylvania?

It is probably not worth fighting a speeding ticket in Pennsylvania unless you have evidence that you were not guilty of speeding. However, if you feel you are not guilty, you can request a hearing and be represented either by your own lawyer or a public defender. If you’re found not guilty, all the security you posted will be returned to you, and you won’t have to pay a fine.

How do I remove points from my license in Pennsylvania?

You can remove three points from your license in Pennsylvania by not committing any additional violation that results in points or a suspension or revocation of your driving privileges for 12 consecutive months, according to the state’s Department of Transportation (PennDOT).

How many points until you lose your license in Pennsylvania?

Your license will be suspended if you have accumulated six or more points or if you’re convicted of driving 26 miles per hour or more over the speed limit. A first suspension will last 90 days, and subsequent suspensions will last for 120 days, according to the Pennsylvania Driver’s Manual.

Aliza Vigderman
Written by:Aliza Vigderman
Senior Writer & Editor
A seasoned journalist and content strategist with over 10 years of editorial experience in digital media, Aliza Vigderman has written and edited hundreds of articles on the site, covering everything from plan coverages to discounts to state laws. Previously, she was a senior editor and industry analyst at the home and digital security website Security.org, previously called Security Baron. She has also contributed to The Huffington Post, SquareFoot, and Degreed. Aliza studied journalism at Brandeis University.

Citations

  1. Automobile Insurance Guide. Pennsylvania Insurance Department. (2008, Mar).
    https://www.insurance.pa.gov/Documents/auto_guide.pdf

  2. Facts + Statistics: Uninsured Motorists. Insurance Information Institute. (2023).
    https://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-uninsured-motorists

  3. THE PENNSYLVANIA POINT SYSTEM FACT SHEET. Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. (2022, Aug).
    https://www.dot.state.pa.us/Public/DVSPubsForms/BDL/BDL%20Fact%20Sheets/fs-ps.pdf

  4. § 3326. Duty of driver in construction and maintenance areas or on highway safety corridors. Pennsylvania State Legislature. (2023).
    https://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/LI/CT/HTM/75/00.033.026.000..HTM

  5. Special Court Administration FAQ. Cumberland County Pennsylvania. (2023).
    https://www.cumberlandcountypa.gov/faq.aspx?TID=73

  6. Safety Camera Laws. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. (2025, May).
    https://www.iihs.org/topics/red-light-running/safety-camera-laws