Citations, Tickets and Auto Insurance California CA
Reader’s Question:
Is there a difference between a citation and a ticket? If I get both, will my insurance carrier in California increase my auto insurance premiums?
Carl
San Francisco, CA
A citation is defined as an official summons and calls for an appearance in court. Meanwhile, a ticket by definition is a type of legal summons, especially for a violation. The two words are essentially interchangeable when we are talking about being written up for a moving violation by a law enforcement officer.
The ticket or citation will only have a negative effect on your auto insurance if you receive a conviction for the moving violation for which it was written up for. The conviction will be placed on your motor vehicle record (MVR) and will be seen by your car insurance carrier and will definitely be considered negative points on your auto insurance. These negative points will ultimately translate to higher auto insurance premiums.
Other carriers think twice about renewing policies of those with multiple traffic citations. A policyholder can clean up his or her driving record by taking driver improvement courses. But if the policyholder continuously turns out to be negligent then a auto insurance company has the right to cancel the policy altogether. It is best to remember that avoidance of traffic violations will only be achieved if every driver chooses to follow traffic rules and regulations and practices safe and defensive driving.
Tags: auto insurance, auto insurance premium, car insurance, traffic violation