5 common traffic violations and how they affect your car insurance

A ticket, at-fault accident, or driving-related conviction can go on your driving record and raise your insurance rates. The amount of the increase varies. The type of infraction, whether it was your first violation, if you have accident forgiveness protection, and other factors can influence how a new ticket or accident affects your insurance costs.

Here’s a look at five common traffic violations and how each could change what you pay for car insurance.

Speeding is considered the most common traffic violation in the U.S. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that speeding contributed to 29% of traffic fatalities in 2023.

If you don’t have first-time ticket forgiveness on your car insurance policy, a new speeding ticket probably does raise your insurance costs. The actual rate increase will depend on several factors, but costs are expected to rise between 20% and 50%.

A speeding ticket can remain on your driving record for one year or longer. In many states, tickets drop off your record after three years.

Learn more: Cheapest car insurance after a speeding ticket

Red-light tickets are another common infraction, thanks in part to automated red-light cameras. In Florida alone, red-light cameras issued more than 1 million violation notices in the 12 months prior to June 30, 2024.

Receiving a ticket for running a red light can raise your insurance by 20% to 25%. However, the increase can vary depending on where you live and whether the ticket was issued by an officer or a red-light camera. Some states classify red-light camera tickets as nonmoving violations, like parking tickets. Nonmoving violations typically don’t affect your insurance rates.

An officer-issued ticket for running a red light or stop sign is a moving violation. As with a speeding ticket, this infraction could remain on your record for several years, depending on the state.

Learn more: Car insurance rates are climbing. Here are 4 reasons why and 11 ways to save.

A DUI conviction can be one of the most expensive and lasting driving offenses. According to the FBI crime data explorer, there have been nearly 650,000 DUI arrests in the 12 months prior to October 15, 2025.

Learn more: What’s the difference between DUI and DWI?

Car insurance rates will increase anywhere from almost 30% to more than 100% on average, according to a sampling of several insurance quote comparison sites.

In most states, a DUI will stay on your driving record for three to five years, according to Progressive. In Nevada and California, a DUI will remain for 10 years.

Learn more: Here’s how a DUI impacts your car insurance

More than 2 million people per year are injured in traffic accidents, according to data from the NHTSA. Property damage costs associated with vehicle crashes are estimated to be more than $140 billion annually, according to data from the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety.

Insurance companies bear the brunt of the costs. It’s not surprising, then, that your insurance rates rise after you cause an accident. The average increase is 55%, according to Savvy Insurance Solutions, but it can be lower depending on your insurance provider, your insurance coverage, and the severity of the accident.

Accidents generally stay on your driving record for three to five years, but this varies by state.

Learn more: Cheapest car insurance after an accident

Parking tickets are nonmoving violations, which generally do not raise your insurance costs. The exception is that unpaid parking tickets can affect your credit rating, which could increase your insurance costs in many states.

Learn more: How credit affects car insurance rates – for better or worse

A clean driving record with no moving violations or accidents helps you qualify for the lowest auto insurance rates. Across the U.S., the cheapest average monthly insurance cost for good drivers ranges from $130 to $193, according to Savvy Insurance Solutions.

Keep in mind that insurance companies consider many factors when setting prices, including your age, vehicle type, and location — so your rates could be different.

Learn more: Cheapest car insurance for good drivers

Your driving history heavily influences the cost of your coverage. Insurance companies use your driving record, among other factors, to evaluate your risk of filing claims. A poor driving record generally means higher risk for the insurance company, which translates to more expensive rates.

If you have a bad driving record, it’s wise to shop multiple companies for car insurance quotes. Mainstream insurance companies like Allstate or Progressive may offer a competitive rate, depending on your other qualifications and the nature of your driving infractions. Otherwise, you can check with companies that specialize in higher-risk drivers like Dairyland or The General.

Your driving record includes personal information, such as your name and birthday, plus recent moving violations, traffic-related convictions, and accidents. State law determines how long violations, convictions, and accidents stay on your record.

Tim Manni edited this article.

Unless stated otherwise, the estimates above are provided by Savvy Insurance Solutions (“Savvy”). Savvy operates a marketplace for home and auto insurance, plus an agency licensed in all 50 states. Estimates are generated using Savvy’s in-house machine learning models based on over 3 million data points, and include more than 15 of the largest insurance companies in Savvy’s nationwide data set. This includes data from more than 2 million insurance accounts connected through Trellis Connect, an in-house technology allowing consumers to “link” their insurance accounts before searching for insurance, and tens of thousands of policies bound by Savvy’s own agents. It takes into account a myriad of factors to create predictions, such as:

• Policyholder age

• Number of vehicles

• ZIP code

• Vehicle age

• Insurer

• …and more

Savvy creates estimates by running models against multiple inputs to the parameters of interest. For instance, the “teen driver” estimates were created by adjusting the policyholder age input into the pricing model while keeping all other variables steady from the baseline for “full coverage.” The models enable hyper-personalized estimates that take into account a plethora of user attribute permutations (e.g., teen drivers in specific states, teen drivers with new vehicles, teen drivers in specific states with new vehicles) to provide individuals with a unique and tailored experience. The charts above are a subset of the kinds of personalization Savvy can do.

The following are definitions used by Savvy when providing its rate estimates for various types of coverage.

Full coverage car insurance: A policy with comprehensive, collision, and liability coverage.

Average policyholder: A 48-year-old driver who owns a 13-year-old vehicle and lives in an average-income ZIP code.

Senior driver: A 70-year-old policyholder with full coverage car insurance.

Good driver: Drivers across all coverage types, vehicle types, and locations who have no tickets, accidents or DUIs.