Why Fight a Traffic Ticket? Here is Why….

Posted Monday, July 8, 2019 by Andrew Charles Huff

When you are driving down the highway and suddenly see those lights flash in your rearview mirror, most of us feel the blood rushing to our face and nerves tied in knots. And if given a ticket, it’s critical to handle it properly or else you could face higher insurance rates and potentially a license suspension. But many people do not know how to fight a ticket, or feel the cost of hiring an attorney is not worth it. Unfortunately, many folks opt to pay the fine and move on.

When you pay your ticket, you agree that you were in violation of the law and accept all the consequences. Traffic tickets are reported to the Washington DOL when paid and end up on your driver’s record. This can cause your insurance rates to go up at renewal time or for too many tickets a non-renewal decision by your insurer.

But can traffic tickets affect your ability to find a job in Washington?

In Washington state, DOL maintains a record for every driver with an active driver’s license. Your driving record is also a record of every interaction you have had as a driver including law enforcement, your personal information, car collisions you’ve been involved in, the status of your driver’s license and any suspensions or disqualifications on your record.

Traffic tickets can and will cause a rise in the premiums you pay for car insurance. A single ticket can cause many to see a rise in their premiums, even if you have a good record. In Washington, a traffic ticket remains on your record for 3 years for insurance purposes. This means those rate increases will be around for a while.

How Traffic Tickets Effect Your Driving Record

Every time a change is made to your driving record, this is essentially a recording that remains with you and includes all “committed” findings and fine payments. When you pay any fines, you are pleading guilty to the violation you were cited for. Moving violations are recorded and appear on your driving record, which can then be seen by any law enforcement officials, insurance agencies and anyone conducting a background check. For many good drivers, just one traffic violation is often enough to raise rates or lose any “good driver” discount.