# I got a written warning for speeding, now what? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 17, 2005, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-written-warning-for-speeding-now-what/290544 "2005-02-17T15:07:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FlippyFly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e95f7d/32.png) [@FlippyFly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlippyFly)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-written-warning-for-speeding-now-what/290544/1 "2005-02-17T15:07:08Z")
I got a written warning today for speeding. How long does this stay on my record and will it effect my insurance? To complicate matters, I live in Illinois but the warning was in Indiana. I have never been pulled over before, and I have been driving for ten years. FYI, the police officer gave me a written warning instead of a ticket because he appreciated the kind, cooperative, and respectful manner with which I addressed him. ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-written-warning-for-speeding-now-what/290544/2 "2005-02-17T15:45:01Z")
It will not effect your insurance, you have to buy a policy for that, it also should not affect your insurance. ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-written-warning-for-speeding-now-what/290544/3 "2005-02-17T15:55:57Z")
Consider your self warned!!! 🙂 Other than that, no record. Though the department in question may keep a record handy to the dispatcher… just in case there is a “next time.” So says my father - part time dispatcher. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-written-warning-for-speeding-now-what/290544/4 "2005-02-17T16:25:16Z")
Now what? Slow down. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-written-warning-for-speeding-now-what/290544/5 "2005-02-17T17:19:42Z")
> [@flight](#): > > It will not effect your insurance, you have to buy a policy for that, it also should not affect your insurance. But the question is: will this affect your insurance? ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-written-warning-for-speeding-now-what/290544/6 "2005-02-17T20:33:13Z")
No, I don’t think warnings are entered onto your official driving record. It shouldn’t affect your insurance. However, no one I know has ever gotten more than one warning, so I suspect that the cops make a note of the fact that a warning was issued. The next time you get pulled over, you’ll get an honest-to-God ticket. So slow down, Speed Racer 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-written-warning-for-speeding-now-what/290544/7 "2005-02-17T22:13:41Z")
In Iowa, I know that written warnings are recorded, because when I pulled a license (as a dispatcher) they would appear. Whether or not this is given to insurance, I don’t know, but it wasn’t just “in house” – any police officer in the state saw the written warning. ---
**Author:** ![jasonh300](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/46a35a/32.png) [@jasonh300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasonh300)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2005, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-written-warning-for-speeding-now-what/290544/8 "2005-02-18T01:29:35Z")
> [@CynicalGabe](#): > > Originally Posted by flight > It will not effect your insurance, you have to buy a policy for that, it also should not affect your insurance. > > But the question is: will this affect your insurance? No it won’t, and it also won’t affect your insurance. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2005, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-written-warning-for-speeding-now-what/290544/9 "2005-02-18T03:28:44Z")
> [@jasonh300](#): > > No it won’t, and it also won’t affect your insurance. Good to have this assurance. ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-written-warning-for-speeding-now-what/290544/10 "2005-02-22T14:41:33Z")
Dang, I make a snarky post and people mistake it for a double post. ---
**Author:** ![JamesB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/90ced4/32.png) [@JamesB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JamesB)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-written-warning-for-speeding-now-what/290544/11 "2005-03-09T19:16:31Z")
A few years ago, when a cop asked me why I thought he had pulled me over, I replied blatantly “because I was speeding.” After taking my license and registration, he returned about 10 minutes later with a written warning. He said I would be in their computer system for a year, so if I got pulled over again, I should expect a ticket. I was impressed. I was in a municipality with budgetary problems, so I was surprised that the cop wasn’t just trying to fill a quota to bring in more revenue for the county. Ever since, out of respect for that cop, I’ve driven much slower on that one stretch of road. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-written-warning-for-speeding-now-what/290544/12 "2005-03-09T19:38:47Z")
> [@flight](#): > > It will not effect your insurance, you have to buy a policy for that, it also should not affect your insurance. **flight** , you walk on water! ---
**Author:** ![monica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@monica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monica)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-written-warning-for-speeding-now-what/290544/13 "2005-03-09T20:18:45Z")
What about verbal warnings? Do they get recorded anywhere at all? ---
**Author:** ![JamesB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/90ced4/32.png) [@JamesB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JamesB)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-written-warning-for-speeding-now-what/290544/14 "2005-03-09T20:33:42Z")
Verbal warnings only get recorded in the mind of the cop. There’s always a chance he/she’ll remember you the next time. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-written-warning-for-speeding-now-what/290544/15 "2005-03-09T20:41:44Z")
> [@flight](#): > > Dang, I make a snarky post and people mistake it for a double post. Try to affect a snarkier tone and perhaps it’ll effect the desired response. You’ll need to except that everyone accept you will misunderstand, though. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-written-warning-for-speeding-now-what/290544/16 "2005-03-09T20:47:45Z")
> [@lno](#): > > Try to affect a snarkier tone and perhaps it’ll effect the desired response. > > You’ll need to except that everyone accept you will misunderstand, though. **flight** , not only do you walk on water, you turn it into wine! ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2005, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-written-warning-for-speeding-now-what/290544/17 "2005-03-10T20:50:57Z")
> [@lno](#): > > Try to affect a snarkier tone and perhaps it’ll effect the desired response. > > You’ll need to except that everyone accept you will misunderstand, though. And flaunting the warning is a receipt for disaster. ---
**Author:** ![dauerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2005, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-written-warning-for-speeding-now-what/290544/18 "2005-03-10T21:09:24Z")
Last week I got pulled over for speeding. The cop wrote a ticket for failing to obey a traffic control sign which is a zero point offense. He was trying to be nice to me. I wonder, if I contested it and said I did not disobey a sign he would be able to reply “sure he did, the sign that said 65 mph speed limit.” I have no intention of doing this, since he was trying to save me points and if I screw with him the next person will surely get the speeding ticket, but I am just curious. It was in PA, btw. ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2005, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-written-warning-for-speeding-now-what/290544/19 "2005-03-10T23:38:46Z")
Did you find out if it will affect your insurance? Oh, and my advice: roll it up and smoke it. God, I need a cigarette.