Does a speeding warning affect your insurance?

Speed warnings should never affect your auto insurance because traffic warnings don’t usually go on your driving record. Any traffic citation that ends up on your driving record could affect your auto insurance rates, but getting a warning for speeding is just that – a warning, and not a citation or violation. But if you received a written warning, it might show up on your record and could affect your car insurance.

Say you were caught speeding and got let off with a warning. You didn’t technically get a speeding ticket, but you still have questions about what happens when you get a warning for speeding.

Can getting a speeding warning to affect auto insurance? Does a speeding warning go on your record? Do warnings go on your record in general?

Today, we’re explaining everything you need to know about speeding warnings which will help you understand auto insurance.

Will warnings affect car insurance rates?

While getting into a traffic accident or receiving a speeding ticket will raise your insurance, there is a traffic violation or traffic law infraction that doesn’t increase your insurance rates. Receiving any type of traffic warning will generally not affect your car insurance rate.

If you were pulled over on the road for going over the set speed limit and the law enforcement officer gave you a written or verbal warning, then this is unlikely to be one of the 20 things that can affect your car insurance costs.

A verbal warning is spoken by the officer. The law enforcement officer might tell you to slow down in the future, or else you will receive a full speeding warning or ticket, for example.

By getting a warning for speeding in this manner, there is unlikely to be any record of the incident that could be reported to the DMV or your car insurance company. For all intents and purposes, the informal verbal warning is “off the books” and cannot impact insurance rates.

Getting a warning letter, however, could be handled differently.

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Does a warning show up on your driving record?

Different states handle warnings in different ways. Generally, warnings do not affect car insurance rates, but does a final written warning letter go on your record? There are some situations where a speeding warning could exist on your record.

It’s important to know how your driving record impacts your auto insurance rates. If the officer gave you a formal written warning (not a citation or a ticket), then you may wish to contact the DMV and ask them, “do traffic warnings go on your record?”

In some cases, a written speed warning may appear on your driving record, either in a database or as a hard copy in a filing cabinet. If the DMV has your speeding warning on record, then it’s possible for your insurance carrier to find evidence of that written warning.

However, even if evidence of your written warning exists at the DMV and your insurance company finds the record, it is unlikely to affect car insurance rates. It’s rare for any type of warning – written or verbal – to affect car insurance prices.

Nevertheless, some states keep documentation for all types of written warnings, including minor offenses. If you received a written warning for speeding, then it’s possible your local DMV has evidence of that warning – although it’s still unlikely to affect car insurance rates.

Read more: Do out-of-state speeding tickets affect your auto insurance rates?

Do insurance companies have access to traffic warnings?

Speeding warnings – and all other types of traffic warnings – are unlikely to affect your insurance rates. However, that doesn’t mean there are no consequences to your formal warning notice.

Sometimes, your insurance company will have access to your warning. As mentioned above, some written warnings are reported to the DMV.

Even if you did not receive a speeding ticket, it’s possible for your insurance company to use your reprimand or warning notice as proof that you are a high-risk driver.

Generally, insurance companies will not raise rates for a minor offense – like a burnt-out headlight or a single speeding violation ticket.

However, if the insurance company checks your driving record and finds multiple warnings for speeding, then this could be a reason why your insurance rate goes up.

You’re seen as a riskier driver to insure for your speeding warning record. It’s within the insurance company’s rights to raise rates for riskier drivers.

If you’re switching to a new insurance company, then the new insurance company is more likely to take a closer look at your profile than an existing insurance company. A new insurance company might request a complete background check, for example, and pull up your entire driving history.

Your existing insurance company typically only does this once every two or three years.

Do tickets and warnings raise insurance rates?

A single speeding ticket will not significantly raise insurance rates with most of the biggest insurance companies in the US, nor will a single speeding warning.

However, it’s possible that a combination of speeding warnings and tickets will raise insurance rates. If the insurance company checks your record and finds one warning and one ticket, for example, then they will be more likely to raise rates than if they had found one of either.

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Can I contact the DMV to determine if my speeding warning is on record?

Ultimately, it’s unlikely for a speeding warning to impact your car insurance rates.

However, in some situations, a written speeding warning may end up on your record. Some states keep records of all traffic warnings. Your local DMV may hold those records and it might show up on your clean driving record.

If this is the case, then your insurance company may be able to find that there are warnings on your driving record. In this situation, it’s possible your insurance company will raise rates after a warning – although it’s still unlikely.

It might be worth contacting your local DMV and asking them, “do warnings go on your driving record?” However, in most cases, you have nothing to worry about – especially if it was just one speeding warning and you have a clean driving history.

It might also help to install a speed warning system or an audible warning device into your car or phone for safety and to avoid driving at an excessive speed.