Do Parking Tickets Increase Insurance Rates?
Written by Team Clearcover
Getting a parking ticket is really annoying, especially if you consider yourself a careful driver. Normally, one parking ticket (or even a few) won’t cause an increase in your insurance rates—especially if you resolve them quickly.
But there are a few instances where unpaid parking tickets can cause negative consequences for your driving record.
Want to learn more about the potential consequences of parking tickets? In this article, we’ll cover:
How parking and non-moving violations affect insurance rates
The negative consequences of unpaid parking tickets
Helpful tips for avoiding parking tickets
If parking tickets affect your driving record
The types of tickets that can increase your insurance rates
How Parking and Non-Moving Violations Affect Insurance Rates
First things first: There are two types of driving violations that can be ticketed, parking or non-moving violations and moving violations. Those terms are pretty much what they sound like—non-moving violations occur when your car is not being driven.
Typically, parking and non-moving violations do not affect your insurance rates if you take care to resolve the ticket or violation. However, there can be some negative consequences if you leave parking or non-moving violations unpaid or unresolved (although most consequences are not insurance-related).
Did your car insurance go up recently? Read My Car Insurance Increased or Decreased to learn why.
Negative Consequences from Unpaid Parking Tickets
If you leave your parking tickets pending or unpaid, you could experience*:
A canceled car registration
An impounded vehicle
Increased violation fines due to delays in payment
A suspended driver’s license
*It’s important to note that these are a few examples provided for educational purposes only. The consequences of unpaid parking tickets will depend on what state you live in and the traffic laws in your state.
In some instances—depending on the laws of your state and your specific insurer—you could see an increase in insurance premiums because of unpaid parking tickets, but not necessarily because of your driving history or parking habits.
Unpaid and unresolved parking tickets could cause your license to be suspended, which could result in a rate increase in your car insurance.
Helpful Tips for Avoiding Parking Tickets
Okay, obviously no one likes getting parking violations, so here are a few things you can do regularly to avoid them:
Check out parking options ahead of time whenever possible. If you’re headed to an area you aren’t familiar with, take a look at your map app before you start driving to scan for available parking options.
Carry change in your car. Many parking meters accept digital payments now, but it’s good to have some change in your vehicle for those times when there isn’t another option.
Set a time on your phone for metered parking. Once you pay the meter, make sure to set a timer on your phone that gives you plenty of time to get back to your car before the meter runs out. (That way, you don’t have to sprint all the way back to avoid an expensive ticket.)
Read all nearby street signs. Keep an eye out for any signs near where you’d like to park. Red and white signs often signal parking rules and exclusions.
Keep community safety in mind. Steer clear of fire zones, fire hydrants, no-standing or stopping zones, anti-gridlock areas, and blocking private drives or garages.
Park in a public garage. Yes, it’s pricey sometimes, but what you’d pay to park in a garage for 24 hours is usually cheaper than a parking ticket!
Do Parking Tickets Affect Your Driving Record?
In most circumstances, parking tickets don’t affect your driving record, as they are not considered a direct reflection of unsafe driving habits. Parking violations are usually given for not following city parking ordinances.
However, things can get a little sticky if you leave multiple tickets unpaid. If you are unable to pay your parking ticket or nonmoving violation right away, you can check to see if your state offers a payment plan you can sign up for.
Do Parking Tickets Put Points on Your Driving Record?
In states that use a point system, non-moving violations, like driving your vehicle with a headlight that’s out or parking in a no-parking zone, aren’t usually stored as “points” against your driving record under your driver’s license number. (Remember, the laws around parking tickets and non-moving violations vary by state, so check with your local authorities, like your state’s DMV website.)
Curious about what points are?
Some states have what’s called a point system for driving violations. In states that have a point system, points on your driving record are like demerits that record your driving history and habits under your driver’s license number. And points, in the world of driving history and car insurance, aren’t a good thing—you don’t want them.
If you accumulate a certain number of points within a specific timeframe outlined by your state, you could face pretty big consequences. Even if your state doesn’t use a point system, tickets and violations are still included in your state’s records. Your state’s local DMV website will generally provide more details on how violations are recorded.
Types of Tickets That Can Increase Your Insurance Rates
If non-moving violations don’t count against your driving record, then what types of violations do affect your driving history and insurance rates?
Moving violations—or citations for things like reckless driving, running a red light, or driving under the influence—do put points on your driving record (if you’re in a point-system state) and will increase your car insurance rates, regardless of whether or not your state uses a point system.
Every state has different laws, but here’s a quick list of tickets that can impact your insurance rates (and we’ll cover each below):
Driving while intoxicated
Reckless driving
Careless driving
Speeding
Tailgating
1) Driving While Intoxicated
Driving while intoxicated (DWI) or driving under the influence (DUI) is not only dangerous for you and other people on the road or in your vehicle, but it is also illegal. Getting a DUI can damage your driving record in some states for life—not to mention exponentially increase your insurance costs.
It’s estimated that the national average increase in insurance premiums for drivers who get a DUI is 74% (1). Getting a ride if you have had a few drinks can not only help spare you from a bad violation on your driving record (and save you money in the long term), but it also can help keep you—and others on the road—safe.
2) Reckless Driving
The definition of reckless driving can vary by state, but it tends to cover a broad spectrum of unsafe driving habits.
For example, according to the State of Ohio Revised Code, reckless and careless driving is defined broadly as any person who operates “a vehicle, trackless trolley, or streetcar on any street or highway in willful or wanton disregard of the safety of persons or property” (2).
Your state’s laws might read a little differently, but one thing is pretty standard: reckless driving is a more serious offense than careless driving. If you get a ticket for reckless driving, it could end up on your record and could potentially increase your car insurance costs at your next renewal period.
3) Careless Driving
Careless driving is often a lesser offense than reckless driving, but it still goes on your driving record.
Careless driving violations could include things like running a red light or not using your blinker, but the specifics around what constitutes a careless driving violation vs. a reckless driving violation will vary based on the state you live in.
No matter where you live or how your state defines it, careless driving violations increase the risk insurance companies take on to insure you, so your premiums may go up.
4) Speeding
Speeding tickets can also increase your insurance rates, and they go on your driving record. There are different levels of consequences for speeding, like driving 10 MPH over the speed limit vs. 30 MPH over the speed limit, where you live will determine how significant your speeding infraction is and how much the fines are.
In some states, driving over the speed limit can get your license suspended. In the case of a license suspension, you could be looking at an even higher increase in your insurance rates.
5) Tailgating
While tailgating can often drum up fun memories of your favorite sporting event, it can be dangerous, and potentially expensive, within the context of driving on the road.
You can be ticketed for a moving violation when following another car too closely, aka tailgating. Tailgating violations go on your driving record and can increase your car insurance rates at your next renewal period. Maintain a safe distance between your car and the car in front of you to stay safe on the road and avoid a moving violation that could result in fines and a potential increase in your insurance rate.
Parking Tickets Are a Hassle. But Your Car Insurance Shouldn’t Be.
Overall, practicing safe driving habits is the best way to avoid a moving violation that can go on your record and increase your insurance rates, and if you’ve had a parking ticket or two that you’ve resolved quickly, they should not count against your driving history.
Dealing with a parking ticket is a hassle—especially if you parked in what you thought was a free spot in the first place. But no matter what life throws your way, your car insurance should be hassle-free.
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