How a Speeding Ticket Impacts Insurance in New Jersey

On average, your premium for car insurance in New Jersey will increase by 21 percent with a speeding ticket on your record. Any moving violation raises rates, which is why exhibiting safe driving habits is important. In the next section, we’ll go over how to lower the cost of car insurance after a speeding ticket.

It’s inevitable that you’ll see increased car insurance rates after getting caught driving any miles per hour (mph) over the speed limit. Here’s how to find cheap New Jersey car insurance even with a less-than-stellar driving record:

1. Get minimum coverage. New Jersey requires only property damage liability of $5,000 per accident and personal injury protection of $15,000 per person/accident and up to $250,000 for certain injuries, like injuries to a spinal cord or brain, and disfigurement. Buying minimum coverage means the lowest in premiums, although it leaves many gaps if you cause an accident, you get into an accident with an uninsured driver, or a tree falls on your car, to name a few examples. Full coverage, on the other hand, will have higher premiums, but comprehensive and collision coverage would pay for your property damages, worth the higher rates.
2. Use the New Jersey Automobile Insurance Plan (NJAIP). If you can’t find an auto insurance provider willing to cover you, your last resort is the NJAIP, available to all licensed drivers in the Garden State. Get more information here:
   • Mailing address:
     • NJAIP
     • P.O. Box 6530
     • Providence, RI 02940-6530
   • Email address: njaip@aipso.com
   • Fax: 856-722-9382
   • Phone: 800-652-2471²
3. Get the Special Automobile Insurance Policy (SAIC). Medicaid-eligible drivers can choose the SAIC and get an affordable medical coverage policy for only $365 per year. After a car accident, this plan would cover emergency treatment, treatment of serious spinal cord and brain injuries up to $250,000, and a $10,000 death benefit. You can get the SAIC form any insurance company licensed in New Jersey.
4. Choose a limited right to sue. In New Jersey, PIP is required, but you can choose between a standard and a basic policy, the latter of which is cheaper. But if you want the amounts of the standard policy, you can save money by choosing a limited right to sue instead of an unlimited right to sue. With the limited options, you can sue for pain and suffering only if you’ve experienced:
   • Death
   • Displaced fracture
   • Loss of a body part or fetus
   • Permanent injury, meaning that a body part or organ cannot heal to function normally without further medical services
   • Significant disfigurement and/or scarring
5. With an unlimited right to sue, you can recover non-economic damages for pain and suffering from any injury, not just the serious injuries listed above.³

Make sure to get more than one car insurance quote, and when you request quotes, make sure to input the same information, such as your driving history, including moving violations, as that’ll affect your car insurance premium. Learn more about what affects car insurance rates across all car insurance companies.

A speeding ticket in New Jersey will cost you points on your driving record as well as a fine.

Points

You’ll receive two to five points on your record.

Fines

In addition, you’ll receive a fine, which is twice as expensive in a 65 mph zone, safe corridor, or construction area.⁴ See the full list of fines below.⁵

You have two options after receiving a speeding ticket: Pay it or plead not guilty.

Pay the Ticket

The easiest way to pay the ticket is online at this link.

Plead Not Guilty

If you believe you were cited incorrectly, follow these steps:

1. Check the “not guilty” box on your ticket.
2. Complete a plea-by-mail form: https://www.njcourts.gov/sites/default/files/forms/10715_plea_mail.pdf.
3. Upload the form to the Judiciary Electronic Document Submission: https://www.njcourts.gov/self-help/jeds.
4. Or you can plead not guilty in the Municipal Case Resolution System: NJMCDirect.com.

The prosecutor will reach out to you to strike a plea deal. If you don’t accept it, the judge will hear your case on your scheduled court date.

From improper passing to reckless driving, speeding is far from the only traffic violation that will affect your car insurance.

• Moving against traffic
• Improper passing
• Failure to yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk
• Racing on highway
• Driving on a sidewalk
• Driving the wrong way down a one-way street
• Driving without insurance
• Failure to keep right
• Reckless driving
• Careless driving
• Driving too slowly and blocking traffic⁵

Learn more about speeding in New Jersey in our list of frequently asked questions below. You’ll need insurance to register a car in New Jersey, so even if you think your premium will be unaffordable after a speeding ticket, it’s a necessity to drive legally. Fortunately, the state offers last-resort options for those who can’t find coverage elsewhere, as well as affordable options for Medicaid recipients. And if you don’t own a car, non-owner insurance is a more affordable option for those who need an SR-22.