Will Getting A Speeding Ticket Warning Affect My Auto Insurance
Reader’s Question:
My license is from Portland, Maine, I received a warning for speeding in Massachusetts; will it affect my car insurance rates?
Victoria
Portland, ME
Massachusetts General Laws state that for motor vehicle infractions or violations a law enforcement officer may issue a written warning or citation. However, this section of the law does not say how a warning ticket will affect a MA or out of state driver. It does appear though the written warning is not at least in your MA record since it notes that 3 written warnings within a 12 month period may result in penalties.
Maine is part of the Drivers License Compact (DLC), which requires member states to report back convictions of traffic tickets to the state where the motorist is licensed, while Massachusetts is not. However, Massachusetts still has agreements with other states to exchange ticket information. It also notes that the licensing authority in the home state shall give such effect to the conduct as it is provided by the laws of the home state. However in your case it does not appear as if you would need to worry about this MA infraction going against your ME license since it was a warning and not a ticket to which you were convicted of.
Even if this had occurred in state, in my experience, in most cases a written warning does not normally affect your insurance because it does get sent to your record. There are exceptions where it can appear on you record, in those cases the infraction would affect your rates.
