Speeding Tickets - Car Insurance Increase? (Dunmore, Pittston: houses, living in, costs)

[I LOVE PA!]

OK, my darling 19 yr old just informed me that she got a speeding ticket for doing 70 in a 35....paid the fine and now will loose her license for 2 weeks, along with 5 points on her license, 3 of which will be removed in 12 months for 'good behavior'.
Since I have to drive her back and forth to work, she will be doing some of my usual household chores
The judge assured her that unless the insurance company decides to do a check on her which costs them money, that our rates will not go up. That is unless we give them a reason to look, like pricing for new insurance or a new violation. I'm expecting some realy big hike in our car insurance, which she will have to pay!!
Question??? Anyone had a speeding ticket of this magnitude? Can you give me a hint on what to expect as far as car insurance goes and how long it might take to catch up with you?

[ScranBarre]

I've now had two speeding tickets under my belt. My first one was a 78 in a 55 on I-380 near Gouldsboro, and the other was a 57 in a 45 on Highway 315 near my home in Pittston. If I remember correctly, my rates didn't increase after that first violation, but the second one caused a steady hike! I didn't lose my license, but I had to head up to Dunmore to take a written exam at the PennDOT center in order to save it. I was extremely embarrassed because not only was I the only one there who seemed to be under 30, but I was also seemingly the only one there for speeding, as the others were whining about DUI offenses. If anything, just tell your daughter to be more careful from now on once she gets her license back. Please also don't be too rough on here, she might have had very valid excuses for speeding. In the second case, I was trying to rush my friend home from Applebee's after a night of karaoke because she was epileptic and was having terrible headaches (the flashing lights in the rearview mirror didn't help matters much). The first one was when I was rushing back home after dropping my boyfriend off back at his home in Tobyhanna so that my parents wouldn't expect anything if I was gone just a little bit too long.

[I LOVE PA!]

Thanks for the response Paul, I just hope that our rates don't go through the roof. She has had her license for 3 years and no tickets so far, so I'm hoping that the first offense won't be noticed! But 5 points!!! I wasn't too hard on her, as far as her excuse, it was New Years Eve, yes I just found out now! She works far from home, had to come home to shower and get dressed for the evening and fly back out to where she works to meet co-workers. She is always leaving just a little too late and then rushes. Of course living in a rural area, you just assume that there are no State Troopers around.

[LiveinPA]

The fact that she is 19 and had this happen is bad...a friend of mine's brother had this happen to him and the insurance didn't raise their rates but simply refused to insure him unless he got "high risk" insurance which is about triple what regular insurance is just for liability! (this was because of his young age and the whole "extreme speed"/lost license issue.)

If insurance checks I would expect at least a 20% increase that will last 3 years from the date of the violation.

... 70 in a 35? Are you sure she's responsible enough to drive? I know very few 35 mph roads where 70 would even be attainable around here. That is just blatant recklessness. Be thankful they didn't charge her with a criminal reckless driving charge.

PA is odd in that there is no standard definition of that. In many states, 25 over the posted limit is a guaranteed trip to jail and criminal charges. I know in AZ where I used to live that 26 over in some of the counties there the cops will throw you in jail quick and you'll have to pray they reduce it to a civil penalty. Be glad she's still alive.

[DeLorean]

ha, don't get me started on speeding tickets my best one to date was for 112 in a 55 on the 309 expressway near philly.

[Pensypat]

When we lived in New Jersey and had two teenagers driving we were advised by several people to take them off of our family auto insurance and get them their own policies. That way if anything happened, we as parents, would not be held financially responsible for their actions. Also, if something really bad happened and they were sued, they did not own much of value that could be taken from them. On the other had, if they were sued and were on our policy, our house etc. could possibly be taken from us. Thus, we kept a nice clean rating and they were responsible for their own actions. Of course they paid their own premiums as soon as they were able. Just something you might want to consider.

[christina0001]

When I lived in PA I had Allstate...my friend's father owned the branch that we used. Every time a customer's policy was to renew (which was every year for me), they would run a check to see if there were any new tickets.

[I LOVE PA!]

Well I guess there isn't much I can about it now except wait and see and keep all fingers and toes crossed!
As far as her getting her own policy, I think that train has left the station! There is no way she would get her own insurance now! Oh, as far as them getting their own insurance so that you don't loose your house if anything happens, does anyone know anyone or have ever heard of anyone loosing their home due to a car accident?? As far as them being responsible for their own actions, it doesn't matter if they have their own policy, if they live under your roof and they are your minor children, you can still be held responsible. I have a cousin who was hit by a car at 35 yrs old and will live the rest of his life in a nursing home. Did the driver loose anything?? NO Sometimes I really believe that car insurance is a big scam. Even if you have full ocverage, if you have an accident, you will get hit with a surcharge for 3 years that basically pays the amount they spent to fix your car. What do we pay premiums for?
LiveinPa --I am thankful she is alive! Everyday she comes home I'm thankful, no matter how she drives. She has had her license for 3 yrs. with no accidents or tickets till this incident. It was a straight stretch of country road, no lights, no houses, so 70 is very easy to do. I certainly don't approve of it, but I have to move forward and do what I can to prevent it from happening again, and instill the importance of driving within the speed limits. Having a teenager is lots of work!

[WasPA]

Originally Posted by Pensypat

When we lived in New Jersey and had two teenagers driving we were advised by several people to take them off of our family auto insurance and get them their own policies. That way if anything happened, we as parents, would not be held financially responsible for their actions. Also, if something really bad happened and they were sued, they did not own much of value that could be taken from them. On the other had, if they were sued and were on our policy, our house etc. could possibly be taken from us. Thus, we kept a nice clean rating and they were responsible for their own actions. Of course they paid their own premiums as soon as they were able. Just something you might want to consider.

The voice of sanity! Great advice on all counts. The other thing to think about is deer------hitting one at double the speed limit, well, no need to elaborate, is there? I hear that deer run into cars willy-nilly because they don't perceive the movement of anything over 30 MPH, as nothing in nature goes faster than that...just another good reason to drive sensibly and to plan ahead so that speeding isn't a temptation.

The rule of thmb back in the days when there was much more police presnce was to stay within 5 mph over the speed limit and you'd be likely safe from getting ticketed. In today's world, with these zippy cars and general lack of road manners..... a limit of only 5 mph extra seems ludicrous...unfortunately....with everybody going 15- 30 mph over the limit....

[Wanting2Relocate]

pensypat...yes, you are the voice of reason. excellent advise.

at renewal your policy will be reviewed as will driving records of all listed drivers. you might see a slight increase because your young daughter is considered a high risk. and they always talked about boys under 25 being high risks...certainly not fair

not only the deer to consider, what about other vehicles. i do think 70 in a 35 zone is blatant disregard and would not consider her a good/safe/careful/responsible driver at all - who cares if she paid the ticket. was the party that important to rush to and now inconvenience you and everyone else to get her where she needs to go? total lack of respect for rules. tsk tsk tsk on her