Well, it happened. My flawless 22 year driving record has been shattered. I was driving thru a one horse town yesterday on a 4 lane highway. The speed limit went from 55 to 35 with no warning. The cop clocked me at 53 in a 35 mph zone. I don’t feel the ticket was fair. I even went back and looked, there was no sign warning motorists of a reduced speed limit ahead. That aside, the town I got the ticket in is 3 hours away from where I live, so rather than contesting it, I’ve decided to go ahead and pay. Also, this may be a bit too specific, but I’ll go ahead and ask. I mailed the ticket and payment yesterday. But, I noticed on the ticket, they put my old address. I’ve moved twice since I’ve lived at the address listed on the ticket. I do have a correct address on file at DMV. If I’ve paid the ticket and the check clears, will I get any mailings from them? I wouldn’t think so. I just have a fear that they’ll send me a notice to appear in court and I won’t get it. The officer did tell me that if I paid, then I wouldn’t have to appear in court. I plan on calling the courthouse during business hours tomorrow to see if I can clear this up.
Since this is my first ticket, I’m not sure what to expect next. I assume DMV will be notified and they will notify my insurance company. Then, I’m sure my rates will go up. Anyone have any idea approx. how much I can expect my rates to go up. Right now, I’m paying about 90 bucks per month. And I’m a 38 year old male. I was paying less than that when I was 16, although I was in a small, small town as opposed to an urban area like now. I live in Virginia, btw.
I had never had a ticket - ever - and then got TWO in a week. Was not happy.
However, I seem to recall also that one speeding ticket was not considered a “ding” on your insurance. Don’t quote me on that though.
In Nevada, and other states, I think they have started to let you take the “driving school” course on-line, so if you are really worried, you might want to consider looking into that.
Perhaps this is advice after the horse is out of the barn, but traffic controls are only enforceable if the means of marking are legal for the road on which you were driving. If you were operating on a US highway, then MUTCD applies. If it was a state or local roadway, you need to see if the speed markings were in accordance with statutory regulations, and could always challenge them if they failed to meet MUTCD, as many state DOTs adopted MUTCD by reference.
I don’t know about other states, but one ticket certainly WILL affect your rates. I got bumped into a higher rate just for *not wearing my seatbelt * while pulling out of a parking lot in NY. Despite the fact that I got no points on my license for this offense, and no previous accidents or speeding tickets, insurance companies look at all convictions as a negative. And driver safety courses might take a few points off your license (up to 4 in NY), but they won’t prevent you from being bumped into a higher rate. However, you will save about 10% off your insurance premiums compared to those who haven’t taken the course.
MaceMan, it is not up to the state, it is up to the individual insurance company. I have State Farm and did not get a rate increase when I got a speeding ticket 10 years ago or for running a stop sign in May this year. As long as I don’t get another ticket within 3 years, my rates won’t get bumped.
First thought in my head was “speed trap”. You know, a town that sets up a ridiculously low speed limit on a roadway passing through their juristiction. I’ve read of places that get most of their city revenue by investing in two speed limit signs and a full time officer with a radar gun.
