Can a simple speeding ticket really potentially cost me a $1,000?

Hi, my name is Heather Ford, and I am a traffic attorney in New Orleans. I want to answer the question: Can a simple speeding ticket really end up costing you over a thousand dollars?

Now to answer the question of the cost of a simple, straightword speeding ticket. For many people, they get a speeding ticket and pay it then move on. No big deal, right? But I really want to caution everyone against simply paying those types of speeding tickets.

Speeding tickets can have an unexpected long-term impact, particularly on insurance. As a recent example from the New Orleans subreddit shows, a user said that they had paid a ticket for a stoplight or stop sign violation and had already been issued a binder for insurance. When that the traffic ticket popped up on their driving record, they were issued another offer, and it was for $1000 more!

I’ll be honest with you: This situation is not uncommon.

Clients often call me because they paid a few speeding tickets over the last year or so, and all of a sudden their insurance is $500 or $600 per month if they can find coverage at all! You do not necessarily need to hire an attorney to help you handle some of these tickets. If your speeding violation was for driving 15-16 miles over the limit or less, most courts will work with you directly to help you keep that violation off your record by changing the speeding ticket into a non-moving violation. Some courts may even allow you to use Article 894 to keep that violation off your record. So you may be able to handle everything on your own.

But in general, be very careful about paying these tickets. I know they seem like they’re really simple and fairly inexpensive. Maybe you think, I don’t have time to go to court! I don’t want to pay an attorney to go to court to handle this for me. I’ll just pay the ticket and move on. Keep in mind, though, that sometimes, what seems like simple speeding tickets really do have long-term consequences because they may cost you money in the future.

Aside from insurance increases, some people have issues after paying speeding tickets because they want a job in the future. They didn’t think about how a traffic ticket on their record would affect their job. If you are considering driving for Uber or Lyft at some point or even if your job requires any driving, your employer may periodically review driving record. Then, all of a sudden, this simple speeding ticket from two years ago is now problematic.

So, don’t just pay those speeding tickets. Work on them. Whether you handle them yourself or you have somebody else represent you, be very cautious. And if you happen to have any questions about it, I’d be happy to give you my thoughts. Shoot me a text or you can schedule a free strategy session at trafficticketsnola.com. Thanks for your time, and have a great day.