Do Parking Tickets Affect Your Car Insurance Rates?

It’s stressful enough to find the perfect parking spot, but a parking ticket can put a damper on your day. If you’ve recently received a parking ticket, you may worry about how it will affect your car insurance rates. Do parking tickets affect car insurance? Maybe — but there are some things you can do to make sure that your rates won’t skyrocket due to a ticket.

Read on to find out more about the connection between parking tickets and car insurance, as well as how to avoid them in the first place. And if you’re looking for other ways to save on car insurance, compare quotes online to see rates from top auto insurance companies side by side.

Parking Tickets and Car Insurance

Do parking tickets affect insurance? Not usually. Parking tickets don’t typically change how much you pay for car insurance. However, they can involve other costs. The municipal code of the city, village, or county that issued your ticket will determine the fees you pay.

Parking Tickets and Your Driving Record

Two general types of traffic violations exist: moving and non-moving violations. A parking ticket is a non-moving violation. If you double-park or forget to feed the meter, your insurance company may never know. The violation isn’t attached to your driver’s license or added to your driving record. That means they don’t give you points on your record, and it won’t affect your auto insurance rates.

Unpaid Parking Tickets

Unpaid parking tickets are another story. If you don’t pay the fine, your parking ticket could be sent to a collections agency — and that can impact your credit-based insurance score. Some companies use your score to determine your car insurance rates.

Most states allow it. But a handful of states don’t let insurers use your credit score as a factor, including California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, and Michigan.

How to Stop Parking Tickets from Raising Your Insurance Rates

If you live in a metropolitan area, chances are good that you’ve received at least one parking violation. Even though parking tickets don’t directly cause higher rates for insurance coverage, there are a few steps you can take to guarantee they won’t.

For example, if you believe you got a ticket by mistake due to a broken meter or damaged “no parking” sign, send a letter to the issuing municipality to explain the circumstances. Talk to the city or county about payment plans if you’re short on cash. You could also ask family or friends to lend you the money to cover the fees.

But don’t ignore the ticket. At first glance, you might think these citations aren’t a big deal — but delaying payment can add late fees or other consequences, such as the city impounding your vehicle.

Parking Tickets and Car Insurance

Car insurance is an important part of owning a vehicle. It’s essential to know what it covers and what it doesn’t. Most basic car insurance includes bodily injury liability and property damage liability, and full coverage adds collision and comprehensive coverage.

Your protection depends on where you live and the types of coverage you buy. And you may wonder whether you can get your insurance to pay for your ticket. But the answer is no, your auto insurance provider doesn’t cover parking tickets. You must cover the cost out of your own pocket.

Other Effects of Parking Tickets

You might be relieved to discover parking infractions won’t increase your car insurance premiums. But late or unpaid parking tickets can have other consequences:

• A boot on your tire to disable the vehicle

• Late fees that can double the original fine

• Getting your car towed or impounded

While it may not skyrocket your rates, each of these situations can be a costly inconvenience. It’s best to deal with the ticket and pay the fee before it becomes a bigger problem.

How to Prevent Parking Tickets

Your best defense against unwanted parking tickets is to be cautious about where you park. Look around for signs and parking meters. Before parking your car:

• Make sure the site allows parking

• Check signs for time limits on parking

• Find out if the area only allows parking during certain times or days of the week

Metered areas require plenty of change. You might also set an alarm on your smartphone to remind you to feed the meter.

Safe Drivers Can Lower Car Insurance Costs

No one likes their car insurance rates to go up. Luckily, parking tickets don’t cause them to. It’s considered a non-moving violation and doesn’t reflect on your safety habits as a driver.

Keep in mind that parking tickets can have other consequences. If you fail to pay the fees, your credit score may suffer — and many insurance companies can use credit scores as a factor to determine your premiums.

References

https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/which-states-prohibit-or-restrict-the-use-of-credit-based-insurance-scores/. Experian.