How a Speeding Ticket Impacts Your Insurance in Mississippi

If you receive a speeding ticket in Mississippi, auto insurance companies tend to view you as being a higher risk. Unfortunately, your insurance costs rise once your provider views you as a high-risk driver. Therefore, it’s helpful to get a sense of how your speeding ticket can affect you in the long run, beyond possible fines, license suspension, or jail time.

Below, we’ve outlined various providers’ average rates of car insurance depending on a driver’s record.

Luckily, there are ways to reduce your average annual cost of auto insurance after receiving a ticket:

1. Take a defensive driving course. Mississippi permits some drivers to participate in a defensive driving course to dismiss a speeding ticket from their driving record. These courses take a minimum of four hours to complete.
2. Improve your credit. If you cannot dismiss your speeding ticket, a good way to lower your annual auto insurance cost is to improve your credit score. For more information, check out our page on how credit score impacts auto insurance rates.
3. Shop around for a different provider. If your current insurance provider cannot offer you the protection you need at an affordable rate, it may be worth exploring your options and considering different companies. Many auto insurers in Mississippi, like USAA and State Farm, offer high-risk insurance to cater to drivers with an imperfect record.

Mississippi Code Title 63 outlines the following penalties for drivers convicted of traffic violations.²

Plead Guilty and Pay Your Fine

If you receive a speeding ticket, the easiest thing to do is admit guilt and pay your fine. You can pay for your ticket online, by mail, or in person. You should note that by pleading guilty, your violation will appear on your driving record, and you could face license suspension based on the nature of your violation.

Fight Your Ticket

You always have the option to plead not guilty and try to fight your speeding ticket. If you take this route, you’ll receive a court date. In this case, you may find it helpful to hire a lawyer since not all Mississippi courts will appoint you an attorney.

In addition to speeding tickets, other traffic violations can negatively impact your car insurance rates in Mississippi:

Moving Violations

• DUI
• At-fault accident
• Running a red light or stop sign
• Hit-and-run
• Reckless driving

Nonmoving Violations

• Parking violation
• Distracted driving
• Driving without a seatbelt

In Mississippi, as in most other states, the consequences of a speeding ticket can extend far beyond immediate fines, license suspension, and jail time. Despite Mississippi’s low percentage of speeding-related deaths in 2020, it’s important to know how a speeding ticket impacts your premium. For example, with Allstate, your yearly insurance premium can jump from an average cost of $1,821 to $2,015 after just one speeding ticket. Keep in mind, however, that there are ways to mitigate the cost increase after receiving a ticket. You can take a defensive driving course, boost your credit score, and explore different insurance providers in the industry to search for the lowest rates.