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Is it cost-effective to fight a North Carolina traffic ticket?

On Behalf of | Jul 14, 2022 | Traffic Violations |

Depending on the citation that an officer issues to you, a traffic ticket could cost you a few dozen or a few hundred dollars in the form of a fine. Many drivers immediately pay the ticket and then consider the matter finished. They think that paying for the ticket is the fastest and therefore most cost-effective solution. 

While paying the ticket will resolve the matter quickly, it could cost you hundreds of dollars more than you expect it will over the long run.

Your ticket will affect your insurance costs

The fine that you pay is only part of the financial impact of a ticket. You also have to think about how it will affect your license and your insurance charges. When looking at the average 40-year-old driver, a single traffic ticket can mean a 55% increase in motor vehicle insurance costs. The average policy will increase from $1,3253 to $2,054, which is a significant increase. The driver will continue paying that increased rate for several years until the points from the ticket come off their record. 

Men tend to have a more significant increase in their insurance costs after a ticket than women do, although women tend to pay slightly more for insurance to begin with because of their increased risk of injury in the event of a crash. Regardless of your sex, a single traffic ticket could mean hundreds of dollars in increased insurance car for several years. 

Fighting a traffic ticket can actually be a more cost-effective solution than paying the ticket and then accepting the secondary costs it creates.

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