California traffic price tag penalties and your insurance

California traffic price tag penalties and your insurance

California has around twenty four million accredited drivers out on the roads, that ends up in an enormous range of traffic tickets per annum.

According to knowledge from National main road Traffic Safety Administration, Golden State ranks fourth within the country once it involves range of traffic tickets written. Over half-dozen million drivers a year area unit issued a price tag within the American state.

While the value of traffic violations has climbed dramatically in Golden State over the last decade, the pain does not finish there. In most cases your insurance premiums can increase likewise.

California car insurance laws and penalties for five common traffic tickets
We thought it might be helpful to look at what you could expect if you are issued one of the more commonly written tickets in California. You can also find average car insurance rates by ZIP code for California cities and towns as well as details of other state laws at our California car insurance page.


1. Driving under the influence (DUI)
This is a big one. The consequences for drunk driving in California are severe and if this is your second or third time around, you are probably headed to jail for a bit.

First timers

This assumes there is no bodily injury or death resulting from your DUI. Drunk driving is considered a misdemeanor in California, but if injuries or a death are involved its charged as a felony, which ups the stakes considerably.

Penalties can vary depending on the details of your case but the following are all possible:

Fine - The standard fine is $390 but with penalty assessments expect to fork up around $1,800.
Points - A DUI will put 2 points on your license.
Jail time - It varies by the details of your case but the maximum allowed is six months in a county jail.
Probation - You will be on informal or summary probation for three to five years.
License suspension - You will be without a license for a minimum of 30 days but the suspension can range up to six months. If your blood alcohol level is 0.15 percent or above the suspension could last up to ten months.
The suspension is followed by a five to seven month restriction, which only allows you to drive to and from work or an alcohol treatment program.
Alcohol-treatment program - If you ever want to drive again you will need to complete a $500 three-month alcohol-treatment program. The program is nine months long if your blood alcohol level was 0.20 percent or higher.
Vehicle impounded -Your vehicle could be impounded for 30 days at your expense.
Interlock -You may have to install an interlock on your vehicle, which will test your breath and not allow your vehicle to start if there is any trace of alcohol. Expect to fork up about $800 for the device.
Driving record impact - The reporting period in California for a DUI is 10 years.
Car insurance penalty – A DUI will cause your rates to increase significantly because insurance companies now consider you a high-risk driver. If an SR-22 is required, you will need to find an auto insurer that will file this certificate for you if your current provider does not.  Drivers with a DUI violation on their driving record do not qualify for a good driver discount.
2. Texting while driving in California
California has a few different laws that deal with cellphone use but for a straight texting while driving ticket, the penalties are certainly not impressive, in fact they are the lowest in the country.

In California, text messaging is banned for all drivers. However, hands-free and voice-controlled texting is allowed.

Fine - $20 for the first offense and $50 for each subsequent offense. No points are assessed to your license. When court costs and fees are figured in, they push the totals to $76 for a first timer and $190 thereafter.
Driving record impact – No driver license points are assessed because texting while driving is not considered a moving violation in California, but the violation will appear on your driving record.
Car insurance penalty – Your insurer will see the infraction on your driving record, but because it's not a moving violation it probably won't affect your car insurance rates.  Most insurance companies do not  apply a surcharge for non-moving violations.
3. Speeding
While base fines in California are fairly reasonable, fees and assessments push the total up dramatically. All of the fees and assessments fund local and state programs.

1-15 mph over the limit - The base fine is a mere $35 but once all of the various state fees are added on you are looking at a whopping $234.
16-25 mph over the limit - A base fine of $70 jumps up to a budget busting $360 when all of the fees are added up.
26+ mph over the limit - A $100 ticket turns into $480 by the time its all over.
Over 100 mph - If you are pushing your supercar to the limit and get pulled over, you will be writing a huge check. The $200 base fine turns into $859.
Points - Speeding will put one point on your license. If you convicted of speeding over 100 mph you will receive 2 points.  If you manage to accumulate 4 points in 12 months you will lose your license.
Driving record – A speeding offense will stay on your record for at least three years.  If California is notified that you were convicted of speeding in another state, your out-of-state speeding infraction – along with one point – will go on your driving record.
Car insurance impact - Your car insurance company may overlook one minor speeding ticket, depending upon its surcharge schedule, or may bump your rates up 10 percent or more.  A second speeding ticket in three years or less makes it look like a trend of bad driving behavior and will raise your insurance rates even more -- expect at least a 20 percent jump --  but it could be over 50 percent.
4. Driving without a license in California
It is illegal to drive your car when you have no license or your license has been revoked or suspended.  Driving without a valid license can be charged as either a misdemeanor or infraction.  If you’re cited for an infraction, be thankful that you may only face a fine of up to $250.  If you’re charged with a misdemeanor, you may end up with the following penalties – including being arrested.

Fines - A first conviction will result in a fine that ranges from $300 up to $1,000. A second offense will hit you with fines that start at $500 and range up to $2,000.
Probation - One to three years of informal probation is possible.
Jail time - Depending on the circumstances, for a first time offense you could face five days to six months in jail. A second offense will result in 10 days to one year in jail.
DUI - If your license has been suspended for a DUI offense you will be charged under VC 14601.2(a), which carries stiffer penalties. A minimum 10-day county jail sentence is in your future for a first timer and a 30 -day jail stay for a second offense.
Your vehicle – Towing and impoundment of your vehicle for 30 days is possible. You will be responsible for the associated fees, which in some areas of California can add up to over $1,000.
Points - You will receive 2 points on your license.
Driving record – Your driver's record  for three years will show that you were cited for driving without a license.
Car insurance impact – If your insurance policy states that the person driving your vehicle must have a valid license, then your insurer could deny claims if your vehicle and the driver is unlicensed or without a current valid license.  Insurance companies typically find license offenses on par with other minor traffic violations and thus surcharge around the same amount.  But if you were found driving on a suspended or revoked license, auto insurers normally bump that up to a major violation, which will increase your rates. And that is after you obtain insurance again. Typically, if you don't have a valid license, insurers will not renew your policy at the end of the term. And generally lapses in coverage also increase your premiums.
5. Driving without car insurance in California
Like most states, California requires all drivers to carry a certain amount of car insurance and if you are caught out on the road without it, there will be a penalty.

In California, drivers must carry liability insurance of $15,000 for injury/death to one person, $30,000 for injury/death to more than one person and $5,000 for damage to property (15/30/5).

Fines - The fine for a first offense is a fairly reasonable $100-$200. It goes up to $200-$500 for a second offense. Penalties and assessments can run up these totals.
Your vehicle - The police are authorized to impound your vehicle and you will not get it back until you have proof of insurance and pay all towing and storage fees. This can quickly add up to big money.
Points - There are no points assessed for driving without insurance.
Car insurance impact – A gap in insurance will cause your rates to rise when you do obtain your next car insurance policy.  And, of course, if you cause an accident while you're uninsured, you’ll be left personally responsible to pay for the damages you caused to others – as well as your own damaged vehicle.
How tickets affect your car insurance premiums
If any of these tickets hit your record, the fines will be just the start. You can expect your insurance premiums to head up and in the case of a DUI they will skyrocket.

Insurers pull your driving record at renewal time to verify you are still a good driver. If new violations have made it onto your driving record, your premium is going to rise. The more points on your record, the bigger risk you look like to an insurance company.

Insurers take the points on your license and run them through a proprietary and complex algorithm, which will determine how much your rates are going to increase. These "rating factors" as they are called are filed with your states department of insurance and you can request a copy of them if you feel the increase is unjustified.

The fact that every insurer has their own rating system means that your premium can vary dramatically between insurers. As an example, a major violation could jack up your rates 25 percent with one insurer while another might ding you 40 percent.

Expect the rate increase to stay in place as long as the points remain on your record. In California, most points stick around for three years but DUI points are on your record for a decade.