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Last updated: August 1, 2025
How a Speeding Ticket Impacts Insurance in South Carolina
In South Carolina, a speeding ticket will raise your car insurance premiums by 22 percent on average. USAA, Auto-Owners, and Farm Bureau tend to have the cheapest rates after an accident.
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Speeding in South Carolina can result in hundreds of dollars in fines (or thousands if you speed in highway work zones), imprisonment, and higher car insurance costs. Of course, it’s also dangerous. In 2023, almost 3 out of every 10 people who died in a car crash in the state were in a car that was speeding, a total of 288 speeding-related deaths, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.1 Let’s learn more about the impact of speeding in the Palmetto State.
Speeding Ticket Rates by Provider in South Carolina
At $2,016 annually on average, South Carolinians pay lower full coverage rates than the rest of the country. Expect to pay about 22 percent more than that after getting a speeding ticket — around $2,461 for full-coverage car insurance in South Carolina.
| Provider | Speeding Ticket (annual average rate) | Clean Record
(annual average rate) | Percent Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| USAA | $1,429 | $1,332 | 7% |
| Auto-Owners | $1,533 | $1,393 | 10% |
| Farm Bureau | $1,663 | $1,526 | 9% |
| GEICO | $2,103 | $1,724 | 22% |
| Travelers | $2,147 | $1,942 | 10% |
| State Farm | $2,168 | $2,026 | 7% |
| Allstate | $2,685 | $2,074 | 32% |
| Progressive | $2,838 | $2,087 | 36% |
| Statewide average | $2,461 | $2,016 | 22% |
Most insurance companies look three years back on your record when determining your premiums. USAA, Auto-Owners, and Farm Bureau tend to have the cheapest rates in South Carolina after a speeding ticket, well below the statewide average even with a clean record. However, your rates depend on a number of factors, so the only way to see how much you’ll pay — and find the cheapest policy — is to compare quotes from multiple providers.
How to Find Cheap Insurance After Speeding
Here are five ways to lower car insurance costs after a speeding violation.
Take a Defensive Driving Course
If you want to get four points removed from your record, one option is to take an eight-hour defensive driving course through the National Safety Council or at a South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles-approved driving school.
- National Safety Council: https://www.scnsc.org/defensive-driving/sc-point-reduction
- Driving School: https://www.scdmvonline.com/-/media/Files/Class-D-Auto-School-Internet-List.ashx
NOTE:
You can take the course only once every three years.
Buy Minimum Coverage
The cheapest option would be to buy only the state’s minimum limits of liability coverage for other parties in accidents you cause, as well as accidents caused by people driving without insurance.
- Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident
- Property damage liability: $25,000 per accident
- Uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage: $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident
- Uninsured motorist property damage coverage: $25,000 per accident2
Raise Your Credit Score
South Carolina companies charge more for car insurance for people with bad credit, as it’s an indicator of future claims. By raising your credit score, you can lower your car insurance premium at your next renewal.
Bundle Policies
If you already have home and auto insurance or another type of policy along with auto, bundling them under the same provider can get you discounts on both.
Join the Associated Auto Insurers Plan of South Carolina
If you have other, more serious high-risk driving violations, like a DUI or history of driving without insurance, you may have trouble finding a provider that will accept you. If that’s the case and it’s been 60 days of trying and failing to get car insurance in the state, then you can join the Associated Auto Insurers Plan of South Carolina (AAIPSC), which all the state’s licensed insurance providers must participate in. Either contact an agent directly or contact someone from the plan.
- Phone: 866-560-4100; Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. through 4:30 p.m. ET
- Fax: 401-528-1361
- Mailing address:
- Associated Auto Insurers Plan of South Carolina
- P.O. Box 6530
- Providence, RI 02940-6530
- Email address: aaipsc@aipso.com3
Joining the state-assigned risk pool is generally considered a last resort. Once you improve your driving record, you can shop on your own outside the pool and find a cheaper policy.
Penalties for Speeding in South Carolina
Penalties for speeding violations on highways fall to the state government, while the consequences for violations on local roads fall to the city or municipality.
Highways
You could face a fine of anywhere from $15 to $200 for speeding on a state highway, plus up to 30 days of imprisonment for going 25 miles per hour (mph) or more over the posted speed limit.4 You’ll also earn anywhere from two to six points on your driving record. Rack up 12 or more points and you’ll face a driver’s license suspension as well.5
| Miles per hour (mph) over speed limit | Minimum fine (first offense) | Maximum fine (first offense) | Points on your driving record | Length of imprisonment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 10 | $15 | $25 | 2 | 0 |
| 10-15 | $25 | $50 | 4 | 0 |
| 15-25 | $50 | $75 | 4 | 0 |
| 25 or more | $75 | $200 | 6 | 30 days maximum |
Highway Work Zones
Fines are steeper in highway work zones, $500 to $1,000, even if you didn’t cause anyone physical injury. However, if your speeding was the sole, proximate cause of a physical injury, you’d pay a $1,000 to $2,000 fine or $2,000 to $5,000 for great bodily injury. You’ll also get two to four points on your record in either case.6 Great bodily injury causes:
- Substantial risk of death
- Serious, permanent disfigurement
- Protected loss or impairment of the function of a bodily organ or member7
Local Roads
Fines for speeding on local roads will depend on the municipality or city where the violation took place. Let’s use Summerville, South Carolina, as an example. Here’s how much you’d pay for a speeding ticket for driving a certain number of mph over the limit, including court costs:
- 1 to 10: $76.88
- 11 to 15: $128.75
- 16 to 24: $180.50
- 25 or more: $355
- Too fast for conditions: $1558
Options Post-Speeding Ticket
Once you get a speeding ticket, you can either pay it or appear in court. In some cases, you may have to do both.
Pay Ticket
You can pay online for all state tickets and some city/municipality tickets at https://sc.gov/court-payments.
The counties that accept online payments are as follows:
- Abbeville
- Allendale
- Anderson
- Aiken
- Bamberg
- Barnwell
- Beaufort
- Berkeley
- Calhoun
- Charleston
- Chester
- Chesterfield
- Cherokee
- Colleton
- Darlington
- Dillon
- Dorchester
- Edgefield
- Fairfield
- Florence
- Georgetown
- Greenville
- Greenwood
- Hampton
- Horry
- Jasper
- Kershaw
- Lancaster
- Laurens
- Lee
- Lexington
- Marion
- Marlboro
- McCormick
- Oconee
- Newberry
- Orangeburg
- Pickens
- Richland
- Saluda
- Spartanburg
- Sumter
- Union
- Williamsburg
- York
The municipalities that accept online payments are as follows:
- Andrews
- Anderson
- Aiken
- Aynor
- Barnwell
- Belton
- Blacksburg
- Blackville
- Bluffton
- Branchville
- Central
- Chapin
- Charleston
- Clover
- Columbia
- Conway
- Cowpens
- Due West
- Duncan
- Fairfax
- Florence
- Folly Beach
- Fort Mill
- Fountain Inn
- Georgetown
- Hanahan
- Hardeeville
- Harleyville
- Holly Hill
- Honea Path
- Irmo
- Isle of Palms
- Jamestown
- Landrum
- Loris
- Lyman
- Moncks Corner
- Mount Pleasant
- Myrtle Beach
- Town of Ninety Six
- Norris
- North
- North Augusta
- North Charleston
- North Myrtle Beach
- Pawleys Island
- Pendleton
- Ridgeland
- Rock Hill
- Saluda
- Santee
- Seneca
- Spartanburg
- Sullivan’s Island
- Summerton
- Summerville
- Sumter
- Surfside Beach
- Tega Cay
- Travelers Rest
- Walterboro
- Ware Shoals
- West Pelzer
- Westminster
- Williamston
- Williston
- Winnsboro
- Yemassee
- York
FYI:
The municipalities of Greenville and Woodruff no longer accept online payments as of July 2025.
Unless your ticket says you must appear in court, you won’t need to do anything else after you’ve paid the fine.
Appear in Court
However, if you want to plead not guilty, or your ticket says you must appear in court, then you’ll have to appear. If you plead not guilty, you’ll have the option for a bench trial before the judge or a jury trial, which you can request at your first appearance.
Failure to appear in court or pay your bond will still result in a trial, just without your presence. And if you don’t pay your bond within 15 days of your absence, there will be a warrant issued for your arrest, and your driver’s license will be suspended until you pay the bond amount and the DMV reinstatement fee.9
More Traffic Violations That Affect Insurance
In addition to speeding, avoid these traffic violations to keep your insurance premium low:
- Disregarding a stop sign or traffic signal
- Driving on the wrong side of the road
- Failure to dim lights, yield the right of way, give a proper signal, etc.
- Hit-and-run
- Improper backing, parking, passing, starting, or turning
- Passing a stopped school bus
- Reckless driving10
Recap
As long as a speeding ticket stays on your record, you’ll see higher car insurance rates. That’s why we recommend taking a defensive driving course to get some points removed from your record, along with always following the posted speed limits in the future.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do two points affect insurance in South Carolina?
Yes, two points can affect insurance in South Carolina. You can get two points on your record for:
- Backing up improperly
- Driving in an improper lane
- Driving above the posted speed limit
- Failing to dim your lights
- Operating a vehicle with improper lights or unsafe conditions
- Parking improperly/dangerously
- Running a red light
- Changing lanes without safety precaution
How long does it take for a speeding ticket to fall off in South Carolina?
Your speeding ticket points will vanish two years after your violation date. If you want to reduce your points more quickly, you can take a defensive driving course to get up to four points removed. You can take such a course only once every three years.
Do speed camera tickets affect insurance rates in South Carolina?
Speed camera tickets do not affect insurance rates in South Carolina, as photographic evidence would require an officer to “personally [observe]” the offense. However, evidence from a speed camera can be used along with a law enforcement officer’s testimony, according to the South Carolina Code of Laws Section 56-7-35.
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
News Release: Fatal & Serious Traffic Crashes in South Carolina Resulted in $30.9 Billion in Economic and Quality-of-Life Costs in 2023. National Transportation Research Nonprofit. (2024, July 02).
https://tripnet.org/reports/addressing-americas-traffic-safety-crisis-south-carolina-news-release-07-02-2024/Automobile Insurance. South Carolina Department of Insurance. (2025).
https://www.doi.sc.gov/588/Automobile-InsuranceAssociated Auto Insurers Plan of South Carolina. AiPSA. (2025).
https://www.aipso.com/Plan-Sites/Associated-Auto-Insurers-Plan-of-South-Carolina2024 South Carolina Code of Laws Title 56. JUSTIA US Law. (2024).
https://law.justia.com/codes/south-carolina/title-56/chapter-5/section-56-5-1520/The Point System. Branchville South Carolina. (2025).
https://branchville.sc.gov/sites/branchville/files/Documents/Court/The%20Point%20System.pdf2024 South Carolina Code of Laws Title 56. JUSTIA. (2025).
https://law.justia.com/codes/south-carolina/title-56/chapter-5/section-56-5-1535/South Carolina Code of Laws Unannotated. South Carolina Legislature. (2025).
https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t16c025.phpFines. Summerville South Carolina. (2025).
https://www.summervillesc.gov/243/FinesCrime / Courts. City of Aiken. (2025).
https://www.cityofaikensc.gov/traffic-tickets/
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