Does Out of Town Speeding Ticket Affects Car Insurance Rate

Reader’s Question:

I went to Texas for a short vacation and unfortunately I was cited for over speeding. Will this affect my auto insurance rate in Minnesota? Will my car insurance premium increase? Because I heard from a friend that out-of-state moving violations are not counted in Minnesota, so this will not affect my insurance rate in any way. Is that correct? I was also told that all I need to do is to pay the fine and that’s it! No record of the traffic violation would ever show up on my driving record in Minnesota. If that is the case, then I guess I don’t have to worry if this will increase my car insurance rate or not. Correct me if I’m wrong please?

Tessa

Eden Prairie, MN

Well, I think you were advised wrongly.

Both the states of Texas and Minnesota are members of the Drivers License Compact (DLC) which means your out-of-state violation in Texas would be reported back to your home state in Minnesota. Thus, saying that your traffic violation in Texas does not count in Minnesota is definitely not true.

In addition, under this compact, out-of-state traffic violations would be taken as if it happens in the violator’s home state. Hence, out-of-state offenses will be treated in accordance with your home state laws.

As to your question if this will affect your auto insurance premium, normally it would. You might see an increase on your car insurance premium since said out-of-state offense would still show upon your driving record. However, this still depends on your insurer. If you see an increase, then you could check the websites for auto insurance quotes in Minnesota.