When someone receives a speeding ticket or any moving violation in Florida, there main concern seems to be points. The Florida legislature has determined that payment of a ticket without electing traffic school or using a court option will result in points on your license. Speeding tickets are either 4 points if the speed is greater than 15 miles per hour over the posted speed limit or 3 points if the speed is lower than 15 miles over the posted speed limit. The common question we get is what effect points have on insurance?

First, our firm is not an insurance agency and therefore we can’t tell you what effect points will have on your individual insurance premium. Understand that insurance companies use a risk assessment and actuaries to make the ultimate determination on premium amounts. We can tell you that based on our representation on tens of thousands of drivers throughout Florida and the country, payment of a citation that results in points on your license could raise your rates for 36 months. So fighting a citation in court is usually money well spent if the ultimate goal of a withhold of adjudication can be obtained. A withhold of adjudication under Florida law is not a formal conviction. That means the insurance company should not use that violation to raise your rates. Unless completely dismissed, the violation will appear on your driving record without any points.

Out of state motorists must understand that many states are members of the national driver registry and have an agreement between the states referred to as an intestate compact agreement. That means that many states will put points on your out of state driving record for violations received in Florida. That can be very problematic since many states now assess insurance surcharges for a certain accumulation of points.

In certain circumstances we will ask the client to provide a copy of their out of state driving record. This record will then be provided to the Court in which we are fighting the ticket so the Judge can see your driving history. Under this interstate compact agreement points should only transfer back to your home state if there was a formal finding of guilt, or adjudication.

If you have received a speeding ticket or any moving violation in Florida please call our office today to discuss the particular facts of your case. We are available at 1-888-990-8585 7 days a week to answer your questions and hopefully represent you on your speeding ticket.