(until you read this)
The Police officer or Patrolman who gave you your traffic ticket may have told you that you can go online and pay your ticket by credit card. While this is true, it is NOT a good idea in most cases.
SPEEDING just 11 MPH over the limit will allow your insurer to raise your insurance rates by AT LEAST 45% per year for 3 YEARS if you admit your speed and pay online. Speeding 80 in a 65 zone (a rather common charge) will cause your insurance rate to increase by 80% per year for 3 years.(See example below)
AND THAT IS WITH A CLEAN DRIVING RECORD! North Carolina Enacted the Safe Driver Incentive Plan (SDIP) to reward Safe Drivers. But your insurance company is sure to punish you if you dont fall within the requirements of the SDIP. By paying your ticket online, you are admitting guilt, AS CHARGED. By just 1 mph in some cases, you could fall outside the limits of the SDIP, and suffer an increase of rates of 45% or more.Most Attorneys who are familiar with traffic law will tell you if there is nothing they can do to help you. But the attorney fee in almost all traffic cases will be far less than your insurance increase. If you were ticketed in Western North Carolina, call us at the Sluder Law Firm, and tell us about your case. If we can help you, we will let you know how and what it will cost. If we cannot, we will tell you so, and why. The phone call is absolutely free.
Speeding ticket examples
Example- Suppose you are ticketed for 80-65. The trooper tells you you can go online and pay the ticket by credit card. So you do that. 80-65 counts for 4 SDIP points- The second chart above shows 4 points for speeding in excess of 75, when the limit is less than 70. 80 is in excess of 75, and a 65 zone is less than 70. 4 points on the top chart shows an 80% increase. So if your basic insurance rate is $300, the new rate at your next renewal would be $540. That is $240 more, each renewal period, for 3 years. $240 times 6 renewals totals=$1440 INCREASE. Or, you can hire an attorney for less than $200 in most cases, and have no insurance increase in most cases.
