How a Speeding Ticket Impacts Car Insurance in Wisconsin

On average, auto insurance in Wisconsin will cost 31 percent more after a speeding ticket. Expect your rates to remain high for five years after your conviction date or, if the speeding was alcohol-related, indefinitely. Given that the average car insurance rate in Wisconsin was $753 in 2020, you can expect to pay $986 or more, depending on how many mph over the speed limit you were driving.

Compare quotes from multiple companies, as different car insurance companies will have different insurance rates. To compare rates accurately, make sure the information you supply, like your ZIP code and car model, is consistent on each quote. While speeding tickets boost premiums, other factors could decrease your costs, like having good credit.

The reason your auto insurance is likely to increase following a speeding violation is that insurers are apt to consider you a high-risk driver. While that typically means heftier premiums, there are a few ways to keep your rates low, like asking your agent for auto insurance discounts and following the strategies below.

1. Take a traffic safety course. You can get three points removed from your driving record by taking a traffic safety course. Additionally, if your driving privileges were suspended and you have 12 to 14 points on your record, taking a course will end the suspension. You are eligible to take one course every three years.¹ Find an approved course at your nearest technical state college.
2. Get minimum coverage. Minimum coverage is always the cheapest form of insurance. In Wisconsin, the state requires liability coverage only, which includes the following:
   • Bodily injury per person: $25,000
   • Bodily injury per accident: $50,000
   • Property damage per accident: $10,000
3. Keep a clean driving record. People with no points on their driving record in the past three to five years will get the lowest rates for auto insurance.² While a speeding ticket will stay on your record for five years in Wisconsin, try not to commit any other traffic violations to avoid incurring additional points and to keep your rates as low as possible.

The more over the speed limit you were driving, or, if you were speeding in a school or work zone, the higher your penalties for speeding will be.

Fines and Imprisonment

According to the Wisconsin Statutes, a speeding violation comes with a fine between $20 and $600 and, in the most extreme cases, jail time and community service.³

Points

You’ll also receive three to six points on your record, depending on how fast you were going and whether or not you’re a commercial driver.

On top of these penalties, you may also face a license suspension.

If you’re given a speeding ticket, you can either plead guilty and pay the fine, or plead not guilty and dispute the citation.

Pay the Ticket

You can pay your ticket online at https://wcca.wicourts.gov/payOnline.html.

From hit-and-runs to reckless driving, familiarize yourself with some of the non-speeding traffic violations in Wisconsin that can raise your car insurance rates.

• Attempting to elude an officer
• Driving without insurance or proof of insurance
• Failure to obey traffic signs or signals
• Failure to stop after an accident with an attended or unattended vehicle
• Passing illegally
• Blood alcohol content over the limit, also known as driving under the influence of alcohol
• Reckless driving

A traffic fatality can occur at any time, even if you’re driving 50 mph or less, like 28 percent of all drivers involved in fatal crashes in Wisconsin in 2021. But speeding leads to less control over your vehicle and less awareness of your surroundings, increasing the likelihood of an accident. To keep you, your passengers, and others on the roads safe, and to keep your insurance costs in check, always follow the state’s speed limits.