Can Traffic School Lower Your Car Insurance Rates?

Getting a traffic ticket can be annoying and expensive. Not only do you have to pay the fine, but it can also cause your car insurance rates to increase at renewal time. However, attending traffic school may help minimize the impact on your auto insurance premiums.

How Traffic Violations Affect Car Insurance

Most moving violations like speeding, running a red light, improper lane change, etc. will appear on your motor vehicle record (MVR) which insurance companies regularly check. Too many violations in a short period will often result in:

• Higher insurance rates
• Non-renewal of your policy
• Getting dropped by your insurer

Specifically, expect to pay 5% or more extra on your premium for each ticket. Certain serious infractions like reckless driving or DUI can increase rates by 25-30% or more.

Traffic violations indicate to insurers that you pose a higher risk of getting into an accident and filing a claim. So they respond by charging you more.

Can Traffic School Prevent Rate Increases?

Attending traffic school shows insurers that you are trying to improve your driving skills and reduce your risk profile. Many states and insurance companies offer incentives for completing an approved defensive driving or traffic school course.

Benefits of traffic school may include:

• Keeping the violation off your public MVR
• Preventing insurance rate hikes
• Removing points from your driving record
• Dismissing or reducing the original ticket fine

However, rules vary widely by state and insurer regarding traffic school benefits. There are a few common scenarios:

• State-mandated driver improvement course – Some states require completion of traffic school to keep the ticket off your record and avoid points. This prevents insurers from seeing the violation and raising your rates.

• Insurance company discount – Certain insurers offer discounts for completing defensive driving, even if not mandated by the state. Typically around 5-15% savings.

• Court-ordered traffic school – The judge may allow you to attend traffic school in exchange for dismissing the ticket and avoiding fines. This also prevents points and insurance impacts.

• Voluntary traffic school – Even if not mandated, taking a defensive driving course shows insurers you’re committed to being a safer driver. It helps strengthen your case for maintaining low premiums if you do get a ticket.

So in many cases, completing traffic school can mitigate the insurance consequences of a ticket. But check with both your state DMV and insurance company to understand the specific benefits available.

Eligibility Requirements for Traffic School

States and courts place certain limits around when you can attend traffic school to obtain the benefits:

• May only be allowed for minor moving violations, not serious ones like DUI/DWI.
• Typically can only be taken once in a 12-24 month period.
• May be limited to drivers with clean records or new violations.
• Student drivers may get priority over experienced drivers.
• Out-of-state violations may not qualify.

The judge will ultimately decide if you’re eligible for traffic school based on the laws of your state and the severity of the violation. It’s not guaranteed.

Online vs. In-Person Traffic School

In most areas, you can now complete state-approved traffic school courses entirely online. This is often quicker and more convenient than attending in-person classes.

The online curriculum covers the same key defensive driving topics:

• Safe driving techniques
• Hazard identification
• Understanding common violations
• Distracted and impaired driving risks
• Vehicle safety systems

Look for a course that’s authorized by your state DMV or local court system to ensure it meets the requirements.

Tips for Using Traffic School to Lower Insurance Costs

If you receive a traffic citation, here are some tips to take advantage of traffic school benefits for your auto insurance:

• Research state laws and insurance company discounts related to defensive driving courses.

• If given the choice, ask the judge if you can attend traffic school.

• Select a state-approved online or in-person traffic school course.

• Complete all course requirements and exams.

• Pay court fines promptly if required.

• Submit your traffic school completion certificate to the court or DMV.

• Verify the offense was removed from your MVR and no points were assessed.

• Contact your insurer to ensure they are aware you completed traffic school.

• Be prepared to show proof of traffic school when shopping for competitive car insurance quotes.

• Maintain a clean driving record before and after traffic school to maximize the insurance benefits.

As long as you meet the eligibility criteria, online traffic school is usually the quickest and easiest way to mitigate insurance rate hikes and keep your premiums as low as possible after a ticket.

Other Ways to Lower Car Insurance Rates

Besides traffic school, there are a few additional ways to keep your auto insurance premiums in check:

• Shop for better rates – Compare quotes across several insurers to find the best price. Rates can vary a lot for the same driver.

• Ask for discounts – Take advantage of any discounts you qualify for like good student, defensive driving, multi-policy, etc.

• Raise deductibles – Increasing your deductibles to $500 or $1,000 can lead to significant savings.

• Limit coverage – Dropping comprehensive and collision coverage on older cars can lower premiums.

• Improve credit – Having good credit can save you 10% or more on auto insurance.

• Check mileage – Lower mileage means lower risk to insurers, so cutting back annual miles can lower your rates.

• Take public transit – Reducing days driven and carpooling when possible results in lower insurance costs.

• Telematics programs – Insurers monitor driving habits and offer potential savings for safe, low mileage driving.

The combination of traffic school plus other good driver discounts, keeping mileage low, and shopping around for the best rate with multiple carriers is your best bet for affordable car insurance.

The Bottom Line

Attending a state-approved traffic school course can help minimize the insurance impact of a ticket on your rates in many cases. But the specific benefits depend on your state’s regulations and your insurer’s policies. Verify with both the DMV and your provider that traffic school will allow you to avoid points and keep the violation off your record. Whenever possible, opting for traffic school makes sense to help maintain the lowest possible auto insurance premiums.