No one likes to see that dreaded parking ticket lodged under their windshield wiper when you’re coming out of a store restaurant or a friend’s place. Unfortunately it does happen from time to time and can be a surprise expense. We all know that traffic violations such as speeding tickets impact our insurance but do parking tickets count against us too?
Luckily the short answer is no. Generally a parking ticket will not impact your insurance premium. However if you are a repeat offender who fails to pay said parking ticket then this could cause a problem for you.
Types of Parking Tickets
Parking regulations are put in place for a reason. In terms of security safety and for the benefit of those who need more accessible parking situations it is very important to abide by the rules. They’re also put in place to help local businesses and residents.
Some of the reasons you may find yourself ticketed for parking illegally:
- Parking in a disabled spot as this is taking that needed spot away from someone who is eligible to park there.
- Parking in front of a fire hydrant as this blocks firefighter access to this resource in the event of an emergency.
- Parking in a fire lane or an area labelled for emergency vehicles only as this presents a safety hazard and prevents emergency personnel from doing their jobs in the event of an emergency.
- Parking where signs say “ no parking”. This is a pretty generic sign and covers a lot of reasons – blocking an entrance emergency vehicles and more.
What Happens When You Don’t Pay Your Parking Ticket
While simply getting a parking ticket will not raise your insurance rates failing to respond to this ticket could become an issue. If you are someone who tends to accumulate parking tickets and/or fails to pay these tickets a couple of things could happen. Primarily the registry might refuse to renew your vehicle registration until you pay up. Also too many unpaid parking violations could conceivably result in a license suspension. This then may very well trigger a red flag with your insurance company. So while a parking ticket does not go against your insurance repeated offences and ignoring those tickets could ultimately have some effect.
If you aren’t sure of the status of your insurance as far as any tickets issued goes you can always talk to your insurance broker regarding your policy. They may also be able to offer you advice on how to potentially lower your car insurance premium if violations have impacted the rate.