Does Getting a Seatbelt Ticket Raise My Insurance Rates?

Here’s how seatbelt violations affect your auto insurance.

Drivers know that receiving several moving violations will increase their auto insurance rates.  In fact, receiving too many of these tickets could make it impossible to secure standard car coverage, making Florida high risk auto insurance your only option.  But what happens when you receive seatbelt violations?  Here’s how seatbelt tickets impact your car insurance.

• Seatbelt Violations and Your Car Insurance

In the state of Florida, seatbelt violations are considered minor infractions.  This means that they won’t cause a major uptick in your auto insurance rates.  Typically, seatbelt tickets will not increase your rates by more than 3%.  To put this increase into context, a major moving violation, such as a speeding ticket can increase your rates by over 20%. (This means that, if you are paying $500 a year for car insurance, then a seatbelt ticket may increase your annual rate to $515.)

• What to Do After Receiving a Seatbelt Violation

If you have been issued a seatbelt ticket, then you have some options for dealing with the situation.  The easiest thing to do is accept the ticket, pay your fine, and let the ticket remain on your driving record.  Before you take this course of action, check with your insurance provider to see how the violation will affect your rates.  If they will overlook the violation, then this is the best course of action for you.

If you would like to remove the ticket from your driving record, then you can pay the ticket and enroll in traffic school.  Traffic school is usually pretty inexpensive and can be completed from the comfort of your home.  So, this is a great option for drivers whose insurance costs will be impacted by a seatbelt ticket.

Finally, you can try to dispute the ticket in court.  However, unless you have a very strong argument to make, disputing the ticket is usually not worth it.  Because seatbelt violations are minor infractions, it’s faster and often more cost-effective to go with the first two options.

This is what you need to know about seatbelt violations and your auto insurance.  Do you have questions about standard or Florida high risk auto insurance?  If so, then contact the experts at Staybull Insurance.  Our dedicated team is eager to assist you with all your coverage needs today.