Johnny called me for a car insurance quote…
I asked the usual questions about tickets…
Have you had any tickets in the last 3 years, Johnny?
Johnny replied, “just one, but it got dropped.”
Awesome! That ticket won’t affect your car insurance rates, then!
So I checked Johnny’s driving record and he actually does have a ticket. It did not get dropped. What the heck?
Johnny is a fictional guy
Johnny is a guy that I made up. But this conversation happens a lot. And, here’s usually what happens…
Fighting a ticket in court
A lot of people will choose to fight their tickets in court because they want to get the tickets dropped so that it doesn’t affect their car insurance rates.
Now, let’s say that you choose to fight your ticket in court. Let’s say, for example, that it was a speeding ticket for going 25 kms/hour over the limit. Let’s say, further, that the judge lowers your ticket to 10 km/hour over with no demerit points.
Success!!! Right?
Wrong.
I mean, that’s good for the moment because it reduces your fine and you don’t get any demerit points. But… A lot of people take this to mean that the ticket was dropped. It was not dropped; it was reduced. That means that it still goes on your driving record and it still affects your car insurance.
Reduced is not the same as dropped
If a ticket gets “dropped,” it does not go on your driving record, your insurance company won’t find out about it, and it won’t affect your car insurance rates.
If a ticket is reduced, like in my example, it is not dropped; it goes on your driving record, your insurance company will find out about it, and it will affect your car insurance rates.
Don’t forget to call us for a car insurance quote!
