[ol]
[li]I had a fender-bender, a month or so ago, that scraped some paint on both cars. No biggie. I reported it, but filed no claim. As far as I know, neither did the other driver. [/li][li]I was given a ticket for “Careless Driving” a week ago. I passed too close to a pair of cop cars parked by the road. New TN law allows for a $500 fine for this, but I got ticketed for a lesser charge. $140. Not yet paid.[/li][li]There were 2 serious accidents in the last 10 years, both judged to be the fault of the other driver. Cars totaled in both, I went to the ER on one.[/li][/ol]
Should I pay off the fine, or go to court? Or should I apologize, pay the fine, & pay for traffic school (this keeps it off my record)?
Will just paying the fine wreck my insurance rates?
Well, this might vary by state, insurance company, etc., but I had a fender bender that was basically my fault and involved another vehicle. I paid the fine, did not submit a claim, and think the other driver did submit one. My rate did not go up; GEICO called it “accident forgiveness” due to a good driving record - I hadn’t had a ticket for over 20 years.
If traffic school is an option, it’s almost always the way to go. As to whether paying the fine will raise your rates, it up to you insurers policy on such matters. Sometimes they give you the first moving violation, but even if they do, you’ve used your freebie and a second one will probably cost you. As far as going to court, what defense do you have? Sounds pretty cut and dried the way you explain it.
Traffic school keeps it off your record and usually means no points. It a good deal, but you have to pay for traffic school, likely not nearly as much as the fine. Many jurisdictions allow you to complete traffic school online, pretty much at your convenience. Also most jurisdictions limit the time before you can use traffic school again, probably a year or two.
If you do have the option of traffic school, online is the way to go. 20 minutes here, 30 minutes there when you feel like it is considerably less painful than spending your whole Saturday learning about when it’s ok to turn left on red.
Having attended traffic school in Tennessee (twice!) back before it was offered online, I can say that it did help with the insurance and points…no raise in rates for those offenses.
Sometimes, even though you weren’t at fault, being involved in traffic incidents on several occasions will raise your rates…the insurance company reasons that you are driving in traffic that will eventually involve you in a claim with them.