Do speeding tickets affect insurance?

Getting a speeding ticket in Ontario is a serious matter. Not only is speeding dangerous but if you get caught doing so, it can impact your car insurance rates. Learn more about how speeding tickets impact your insurance policy below.

How speeding tickets impact auto insurance

Speeding tickets typically impact auto insurance policies in one main way: by increasing your premium. While many factors are used by insurance companies to determine premiums one of the most important ones is your driving record. When you get a speeding ticket, it goes on your driving record, and the more infractions you have on your record, the higher your premium is likely to be.

Although a single speeding ticket may not have a huge effect on your rates, it is ultimately up to the insurance company to determine what your premium will be. It’s worth noting that multiple speeding tickets in a short time period or a speeding ticket combined with other driving infractions is likely to increase your rates.

How insurance rate increases work after getting a speeding ticket

Just as careless driving tickets or accidents affect car insurance rates, sodo speeding tickets. However, as mentioned above, exactly how your premium will be affected depends on the severity of the speeding ticket and the number of speeding tickets on your driving record.

That said, generally speaking, speeding tickets are one of the most minor types of infractions, which means that your premium may not rise too significantly if you incur one. Below is a list of infractions and how much they can raise your premium in Canada:

10% increase to your car insurance premium

Minor offences like speeding tickets, failing to signal, failing to yield, driving below the speed limit, or obstruction of a licence plate.

25% increase to your car insurance premium

Tickets relating to distracted driving, speeding in a construction area, failing to report a car accident, or presenting a false insurance statement.

100% increase to your car insurance premium

Being convicted of a crime, such as racing, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, fleeing the scene of a car accident, criminal negligence, etc.

As you can see, while your premium may be affected by a speeding ticket, the amount it will be raised is relatively minor compared to how much it goes up after other types of infractions. Thus, a speeding ticket is unlikely to increase your rates dramatically.

That said, the more tickets you incur, the more your premium can be affected. If your driving record becomes extremely poor, you might even be labelled a high-risk driver, which could lead to a cancelled policy and make it more difficult for you to obtain auto insurance in the future.

For more information on why premiums increase and how much car insurance costs per month in Ontario, contact BrokerLink.

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How do insurance companies find out about speeding tickets?

An insurance company will find out about your speeding ticket because once it has been paid or a court finds you guilty, if it comes to that, the infraction will appear on your driving record.

When it comes time to renew your car insurance, your insurance company will review your record and will adjust your rates accordingly.

If they see that a new speeding ticket has been acquired since your policy was last renewed, they may choose to increase your rates.

How long do speeding tickets impact car insurance rates?

This depends on the province, but in Ontario, speeding tickets will remain on a person’s driving record for three years from the date you paid the ticket or the date you are found guilty in court, whichever applies to your situation. The ticket can continue to affect your premium throughout all three years.

As mentioned above, the more tickets you accumulate during this timeframe, the more that your rates can increase. For this reason, speeding tickets can undercut your efforts to obtain cheap car insurance in Toronto and around Canada. Learn more about how long speeding tickets impact auto insurance rates and how long it takes to get insurance by reaching out to BrokerLink.

Can speeding tickets influence the type of car insurance coverage I need?

Yes. Not only can speeding tickets impact your premium, they can also influence the type of car insurance coverage you need. As you can probably guess by now, a single speeding ticket is unlikely to necessitate a certain type of coverage.

However, if you rack up multiple speeding tickets in a span of three years or less or are convicted of a driving-related crime, such as impaired driving, you could be deemed a high-risk driver, which means an insurance company may require you to purchase certain types of coverage.

For example, you may have to purchase optional coverage like collision car coverage or increase the coverage limit on your liability car insurance.

Fines for speeding in Ontario

Fines for speeding vary as they depend on how fast you were going when caught. As you might suspect, the more you were driving over the speed limit, the greater your fine is likely to be. It is also worth noting that the faster you are going, the higher your ticket is, and the more your insurance rates could increase.

According to the Ontario courts, the following list breaks down how much you will be fined according to the speed you were travelling at:

• 1-19 km/h over the speed limit = $2.50 per kilometre
• 20-29 km/h over the speed limit = $3.75 per kilometre
• 30-39 km/h over the speed limit = $6.00 per kilometre
• 50km/h or more over the speed limit = Settled in court
• Using the above information, if the speed limit was 40 km/h and you were going 58 km/h on a regular road, the ticket would cost $45.00 18km/h multiplied by $2.50 per kilometre.

Please note that the fines are significantly higher - exactly double - if you are caught speeding in a Community Safety Zone, such as around a school. The fine breakdown is as follows:

• 1-19 km/h over the speed limit = $5.00 per kilometre
• 20-29 km/h over the speed limit = $7.50 per kilometre
• 30-39 km/h over the speed limit = $12.00 per kilometre
• 50km/h or more over the speed limit = Settled in court
• Using the above information, if the speed limit was 40 km/h and you were going 58 km/h in a Community Safety Zone, the ticket would cost $90.00 18km/h multiplied by $5.00 per kilometre.

Please note that the fine incurred for speeding in Ontario is not the only fee you will have to pay. On top of the cost of the ticket, you are also required to pay a victim surcharge fee and a court fee.

Victim surcharge fee/victim fine surcharge

Victim surcharge fees are tacked on to all speeding tickets in Ontario. In fact, they are added to all provincial offences except for parking tickets, so whether you get a red light camera ticket or a failure to show proof of insurance ticket, you will have to pay this fee. Victim surcharge fees vary and are based on the ticket fine incurred. Further, they go toward the province’s victims' justice fund account, which is used to provide services to victims of crime, such as legal representation. In Ontario, victim fine surcharges for speeding tickets are as follows:

• $0-$50 speeding ticket fine = $10 victim surcharge fine
• $51-$75 speeding ticket fine = $15 victim surcharge fine
• $76-$100 speeding ticket fine = $20 victim surcharge fine
• $101-$150 speeding ticket fine = $25 victim surcharge fine
• $151-$200 speeding ticket fine = $35 victim surcharge fine
• $201-$250 speeding ticket fine = $50 victim surcharge fine
• $251-$300 speeding ticket fine = $60 victim surcharge fine
• $301-$350 speeding ticket fine = $75 victim surcharge fine
• $351-$400 speeding ticket fine = $85 victim surcharge fine
• $401-$450 speeding ticket fine = $95 victim surcharge fine
• $451-$500 speeding ticket fine = $110 victim surcharge fine
• $501-$1000 speeding ticket fine = $125 victim surcharge fine
• Over $1000 speeding ticket fine = 25% of speeding ticket fine

Court fee

If you are caught speeding in Ontario and are issued a ticket, a court fee will apply. This fee varies between provinces but in Ontario, it is a standard rate of $5.00 per ticket.

The risks of speeding

Speeding is extremely dangerous. In fact, it is one of the most dangerous driving behaviours that a motorist can engage in. Why? Driving above the speed limit can lead to a driver losing control of the car and make it more difficult for them to react to certain situations, such as a car braking suddenly in front of them or a child running out onto the street. Further examples of the risks of speeding are as follows:

Accidents

Speeding is one of the leading causes of car accidents in both Canada and the United States. Accidents can result in serious injury and even death, not to mention property damage that can be expensive to fix. Even if you claim third party liability car insurance or accident benefits coverage, you might still be partially on the hook for expensive medical fees, legal fees, and repair bills.

Losing control of your car

Driving too fast is a surefire way to lose control of your vehicle. Vehicle handling becomes compromised the faster you drive, which can increase the odds of a serious collision, like a rollover.

Reduced reaction time

As you likely know, your reaction time will be significantly reduced if you speed. This also increases the odds of a collision, as you won’t have as much time to stop or slow down if needed. That is why obeying the speed limit and giving other cars lots of room are two of the most important safe driving tips.

Putting your passengers at risk

Speeding not only puts the driver’s life at risk, but it also puts the passengers’ lives at risk.

Speeding tickets vs. speed camera tickets

We want to take a quick moment to discuss the differences between speeding tickets and speed camera tickets. Although many people think they are the same and can have the same consequences, the reality is that they don’t. We explain the key distinctions between these two types of speeding tickets below:

Speeding tickets

Speeding tickets are those that are issued by a law enforcement officer to a driver who is caught speeding. These tickets are issued in person at the time that the infraction was committed. Regular speeding tickets such as these are issued to the driver of the vehicle. This person may or may not be the registered owner of the vehicle. To determine if you are speeding in the first place, a law enforcement officer is likely to use their eyesight in addition to a speed gun that clocks the speed at which a vehicle is travelling. Regular speeding tickets will appear on your driving record as soon as the fine is paid or a court finds you guilty. Since they go on your record, they have the ability to impact your car insurance rates.

Speed camera tickets

Speed camera tickets work a little bit differently than regular speeding tickets. First, this type of speeding ticket is only issued after a photo of your vehicle speeding is captured by a speed camera, also known as a photo radar camera. These cameras can be located anywhere but are not often found in Community Safety Zones where speeding poses an even higher risk. Since these tickets are issued through a camera rather than an in-person police officer, they are automatically issued to the registered owner of the vehicle. The Ontario government is able to identify the vehicle’s registered owner because the photo radar camera captures important information, like the car’s licence plate number, which can then be used to find the owner. A ticket is then sent to the owner’s home address in the mail. Since speed cameras cannot confirm who was driving the car at the time of the infraction, these tickets do not appear on your driving record. Thus, being issued a speed camera ticket will not impact your insurance rates the way that a regular speeding ticket will.

Please note that the one similarity between the two is that the fines levied for speeding are the same, whether you receive a regular speeding ticket or a speed camera ticket.

How to lower your auto insurance rates after getting a speeding ticket

Want to lower your rates following a speeding ticket? There are many ways to do so. Reach out to BrokerLink to speak with a licensed insurance expert today and read through the following money-saving tips below:

Ask a BrokerLink car insurance specialist for help

If you want to save money on car insurance, we recommend going directly to the source: BrokerLink. As car insurance experts, we can give you all kinds of tips and advice on ways to lower your premium. We can also help you shop around for coverage to ensure you are getting the most competitive rate possible.

Sign up for a defensive driving program

If you were recently issued a speeding ticket or charged with another driving infraction, consider signing up for a driver’s education course, like a defensive driving program. Such programs can lead to a car insurance discount if you can show proof that you graduated from an approved course in your province. Plus, you will learn invaluable knowledge that will make you a safer driver.

Purchase accident forgiveness coverage

Purchasing accident forgiveness coverage won’t necessarily help you lower your rates after getting a speeding ticket. However, it can ensure your rates don’t increase the next time you get into an at-fault accident. Accident forgiveness is a type of additional coverage that can be added to your car insurance policy as an endorsement, to protect your driving record and to help prevent your insurance premium from increasing if you have an at-fault accident claim. Note: coverage and eligibility varies by province.

Buy two or more car insurance policies or bundle policies

One way to qualify for cheaper rates, whether you recently got a speeding ticket or not, is to buy multiple auto insurance policies or bundle insurance policies. In either scenario, you are purchasing more than one insurance product from the same company, and as such, you are likely to receive a significant discount. Please note that not all insurance products are eligible for bundling, though in most cases, car insurance, home insurance, and recreational vehicle insurance are.

Install snow tires on your vehicle

Installing snow tires on your vehicle can also help you lower your premium following a speeding ticket. Insurance companies in Ontario are legally required to offer auto insurance discounts to drivers who install winter tires on their cars, so long as they meet the company’s conditions. Learn more about the many benefits of winter tires, including saving money on auto insurance, by contacting BrokerLink.

Buy a hybrid or electric car

Buying a hybrid or electric car is one last way that you can lower your auto insurance rates after a speeding ticket. Many insurers now offer discounts to those who drive eco-friendly vehicles as a way to incentivize more customers to reduce their carbon footprint. Call BrokerLink to learn more about how much money you can save by driving a hybrid or electric vehicle.

Contact BrokerLink for more insight into how speeding tickets affect insurance

The different ways that speeding tickets can impact car insurance is complex. So if you still have questions about how such tickets can affect your insurance premium, you are not alone. Thankfully, BrokerLink is here to answer all of your car insurance-related questions and more. We can explain in greater detail how much your rates may go up after a speeding ticket, as well as when you can expect the increase to happen and how long the increase may last for.

In addition, a BrokerLink insurance broker can also help you find the best policy for your needs. We can explain what mandatory coverage looks like, such as uninsured automobile insurance, as well as offer a professional opinion on whether certain optional coverages like comprehensive car coverage are worth it.

Begin your car insurance journey today by contacting BrokerLink and requesting a free quote. In case you haven’t heard, BrokerLink offers free auto insurance quotes to all customers. These quotes are accurate, reliable, obligation-free, and entirely complimentary. Plus, they can be obtained from the comfort of your own home. Give us a call or use the online quote tool on our website to request your free quote today. You can receive a free quote in as little as five minutes! Of course, if you prefer to visit us in person, you can do so at any one of BrokerLink’s locations across Canada.

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