Do Speeding Tickets Affect Auto Insurance Rates?
Reader’s Question:
I was given speeding tickets in Wyoming last year and in Montana last month. Will these violations appear in my Washington driving record? Is this going to affect my auto insurance rate?
Louie
East Seattle, WA
Like Washington State, Wyoming and Montana are also members of the Driver License Compact (DLC). Therefore, whatever violation you commit in those states will be relayed to the Washington Department of Licensing (WA DOL) Office and would eventually appear in your Washington driver’s record. Under 46.21.010 of the Washington Revised Code, it is stated that the licensing authority of DLC shall report all convictions and violations made in another DLC member state to the licensee’s home state. This report shall state clearly the violation, the action/s taken, and the plea for guilty or not guilty.
Since all your traffic violations in your home state and in other DLC member states are recorded in your MVR, then your automotive insurance policy carrier will definitely see them once they decide to pull your record. Typically, automotive insurance companies base their policy rate computations on different factors. However, it is common practice to use the driver’s record as one of the bases, too. This rating procedure is acknowledged, though not mandated, by the state’s laws. Therefore, with your MVR in their hands, it is possible that your automotive insurance rates will go up once your driving history has been factored in.
If you need to find out if the speeding tickets you got from Wyoming and Montana would affect your policy rates, ask your automotive insurance agent for their rating system.
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