You can get a speeding ticket in Alberta for just 1 km/h over the speed limit – and speeding tickets do affect your car insurance. This impact is regulated at a provincial level by the Automobile Insurance Premiums Regulation portion of Alberta’s Insurance Act. How much your car insurance is affected by speeding tickets depends on the number of speeding tickets you have and by their severity. We’ll discuss the full effect of speeding tickets on your insurance in this article.
How does a speeding ticket affect my insurance in Alberta?
There are two categories of speeding tickets:
- Regular Traffic Violation/Safety Conviction
- Speeding 1 – 49 km/h over the limit
- Serious Traffic Violation/Safety Conviction
- Speeding 50 km/h or more over the limit
- Speeding in a school or playground zone
Both will have a surcharge applied based on your existing car insurance premium. It doesn’t matter if you got a regular traffic violation for 1 km/h over the limit or 49 km/h over the limit – your surcharge will be the same.
Basically the more tickets you have the more you’ll pay in your insurance premiums – especially if you’re speeding enough to get a serious traffic violation.
How long will a speeding ticket affect my car insurance rates in Alberta?
A regular traffic violation speeding ticket will generally remain on your record for 3 years from the date you pay the fine. A serious traffic violation speeding ticket can remain on your record for longer.
Why do your car insurance rates go up with speeding tickets?
According to Alberta Traffic Collision Statistics, nearly 25% of drivers involved in fatal collisions in Alberta in 2016 were speeding. In Ontario, excess speed was blamed as the cause of the most road fatalities in 2017. Speed also contributes to injury and non-injury collisions.
Your insurance company will increase your rates after a speeding ticket because you’re considered to be a riskier driver that is more likely to be involved in an accident. The more serious the ticket and the more tickets you have the riskier you’re thought to be by insurance companies.
Exception: Photo Radar Speeding Tickets
Just as photo radar tickets don’t add demerits to your license or go on your official driving record they also don’t impact your insurance. So if you have a pile of photo radar tickets but have never been pulled over and received a ticket you won’t have any surcharges.
Paying Speeding Tickets & The Impact on Your Car Insurance
In Alberta, speeding tickets don’t show up on your record until you’re “convicted” – the court date on the ticket if you want to contest it or the date you pay your ticket.
If for some reason you are unable to pay or choose not to pay your speeding ticket your car insurance will not be affected. However, you will be responsible for late fees and will not be able to use vehicle-related registry services. For more information on your fine payment options visit the Government of Alberta Fine Payment page.
Questions about your car insurance in Alberta?
Our brokers are always here to answer your questions. Give them a call if you have a question about how your driving record affects your car insurance rates.