If You Get a Ticket In One State, Will It Appear on Other States?

Getting a traffic ticket is somewhat of a nuisance, one which most would rather forget and move on with their lives. However, a more serious traffic violation will stay on your record for a certain period of time, and that will likely affect your car insurance rates. Even if you can use car insurance quotes to find a more affordable policy, you will probably have to pay more than you otherwise would. But if you get a traffic ticket in one state, will it matter if you get your insurance from another state?

# online car insuranceThe first thing that you need to know is that forty-eight states belong either to an agreement which is called the “Driver’s License Compact” or the “Non-Resident Violator Compact.”  If you get a ticket outside your home state but within one of these states, the Department of Motor Vehicles will relay the information to your state. Therefore the violation will affect your driving record as if the ticket had been given at home. The only states that do not belong to either one of these two agreements are Michigan and Wisconsin.

However, states do have different approaches to reporting your traffic violations to your home state. While one state will report a violation for driving 10 miles per hour over the speed limit, others will only report for 20. States also have differences in how they use this system and whether an out-of-state violation of the vehicle code will affects your record. Some states, such as New Jersey, will add points to your driving record for an out-of-state violation. Other states, such New York, will not. You should also keep in mind that states will generally not treat an out-of-state traffic violation with less severity than if it was committed within that state.

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