how will driving 79 in a 65 affect my insurance?

Question

I got a ticket in VA ( I have a NC driver's licence) it was for driving 79 mph in a 65 zone

Answer 1

The same thing happened to me in greensboro. I was going 87 in a 65. I called a bunch of lawyers and found one in Greensboro, I paid them a hundred bucks, plus court costs and a $25 fine with my credit card over the phone. They went to court for me and got it reduced to an improper equipment charge which is a non-moving violation. I never even had to go to court. And it didn't affect my insurance. You're allowed one improper equipment plea in every county every 3 years. They may have you get your vehicle calibrated which costs about $25 then you can fax them the information. But that's only if that county requires it. But all that added together will save you on your insurance.
Good luck!

Answer 2

It depends on where you live.

If you are in VA and have VA insurance, it is not a big deal, does not qualify as reckless and barring anything else adverse on your driving record, will not have a huge effect on your rates.

If you live in NC and have NC insurance, then it gets interesting. In NC, the offense you described is a 4pt conviction for insurance purposes. Darn near equal to a reckless.

If you do not have to pay an arm and a leg and the above NC info applies, try to bargain this one down to a lesser charge. If you are lucky and have an otherwise clear record, may be plea this one down and get a "prayer for judgement" (ticket is forgiven as long as it is the only one in the entire household). If you live in VA, oh well. Is a 1pt conviction for 79 in a 65 or even if it is plead down.

There is a rule in VA that you can exploit if you do indeed live in VA. In VA, a ticket is only chargeable for 3 yrs from the date of the citation. If you can delay this as long as possible and your insurance company does not find out till they pull a motor vehicle report like next year, you may only have to pay for 2yrs instead of 3.

Example:

pulled over 6/06
convicted 9/06

your insurance pol runs 12/06 - 6/07
they will add the ticket 12/06 and can charge thru 3yrs after the citation date w/ in the policy period, 12/09

pulled over 6/06
convicted 6/07 (delayed it)

insurance co adds 12/07 and can only charge thru 12/09

Answer 3

I'm not sure, but it may be something that you can take a Defensive Driver's Course for. If you can do that, it will not affect your insurance rate. Call the phone number on the paperwork you got, ( you should have been given a list of violations and what each one costs ), and ask about it.

Answer 4

If it is your first ticket and you have standard insurance your company may have a policy for first time forgiveness, and it would not affect your rates unless and until you had either a second violation or accident. If your company does not offer first time forgiveness then when your policy comes up for renewal and your driving record is reviewed your rates will increase with a surcharge for the violation.

Answer 5

That could get expensive. It will be cheaper in the long run to get an attorney to plead it down for you. The attorney's bill may even be less than the fine alone. It will certainly be less than the insurance hike which will stay with your for 3 years.

Answer 6

If your record is otherwise clean, it won't affect it too much. It would be helpful if you can go to court to get it lowered, or get it erased by attending a defensive driving course. (I don't know what the options are in VA.)

Answer 7

If you can't get out of it, take a class and have the points dismissed. Usually, you can have one dismissal in a 36-month period and still be considered as "clean" - no surcharge.

Answer 8

go to court and hope they lower your ticket, otherwise you could be looking at a suspended license for a while

Answer 9

If not cancelled altogether, your rates will go up.

Answer 10

don't speed