Table of Contents
Returning to your car and finding a parking ticket on the windshield is the quickest way to anger most people.
If it’s not enough to have to pay the cost of the parking ticket, but do parking tickets affect insurance premiums too?
Americans pay an average of $25 to $200 for parking violations, according to a Drexel University Central Business District Public Parking Survey that analyzed data from 107 U.S. cities.
If you do not make timely payments on your tickets, late fines may accrue and your vehicle may be seized or confiscated.
Generally, parking infractions have little effect on the cost of car insurance.
However, keep in mind that certain unpaid parking tickets may have an effect on your premium.
The amount of your parking ticket will very certainly be specified in the municipal code of the city, village, town, or county in where you were ticketed.
You may be unclear how to proceed if you recently received a parking ticket.
With this in mind, this guide was compiled to assist you in navigating your infraction and associated consequences.
When Parking Fines Have an Impact on Insurance Premiums
Typically, parking fines have no direct effect on your auto insurance costs.
A parking ticket is an infraction that does not require movement. For instance, not feeding the meter is not recorded on your driver’s license or reported to your state’s DMV or vehicle insurer.
Even if you inform your insurer of your parking fines, the information will not be used to determine whether you are more likely to be involved in a car accident or make a car insurance claim.
Parking Tickets Affect Insurance Premiums in Any Way?
A parking ticket is unlikely to result in an increase in your auto insurance.
Unpaid parking citations sent to collections, on the other hand, may have an effect on your credit-based insurance score.
Certain vehicle insurance providers will evaluate your credit-based insurance score in order to determine whether to insure you and how much your car insurance will cost.
This means that unpaid parking citations may have an impact on your premium.
However, in other areas, such as California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, and Michigan, car insurance companies are not permitted to include your credit score when determining the cost of your car insurance.
Unpaid parking tickets would have no impact on your auto insurance prices in that circumstance.
How To Avoid an Increase in Insurance Prices as a Result of Parking Tickets
If you receive a parking ticket, it is usually in your best interest to resolve the situation immediately.
If you fail to pay your ticket on time, you risk accruing late fines or perhaps having your vehicle impounded by the city.
Rather than avoiding paying your parking ticket, consider the following alternatives, depending on your circumstances:
➣ Write a letter to the municipality as quickly as possible if you believe the ticket was issued in error, explaining why you believe the ticket was excessive in light of the facts.
Include a copy of the ticket, your contact information, and any supporting documentation, such as photographs of the broken meter or partially covered or damaged “no parking” sign.
➣ If you are unable to pay the bill immediately, speak with the city or county about a payment plan or other arrangements.
The city may be able to block additional late fees to allow you to catch up on unpaid fines.
➣ Borrow money from family members to pay off the tickets. You can then repay your relatives without having to worry about additional late fees or collection efforts.
➣ Request an advance on your paycheck from your company to cover the cost of your parking tickets.
How to Avoid Parking Citations
The most effective approach to avoid parking citations is to be cautious about where you park. Scan surrounding signs to ensure that parking is permitted in the area.
Certain localities impose time restrictions or permit parking only during certain hours of the day or on certain days of the week.
If you’re parking in a metered space, be sure to bring plenty of change and keep track of the amount of time you’ve paid to park.
Setting a timer on your smartphone to remind you about your parking is a fantastic method to remember.
When setting an alarm, you may choose to allow yourself a few extra minutes to return to your car or replenish your change meter.
If you park in a space with a malfunctioning parking meter, you may have difficulty demonstrating to the local parking official that the meter was defective.
In this scenario, you may wish to investigate alternative parking arrangements.
Finally, if you receive frequent parking citations near your home or place of employment.
You may wish to consider making alternative arrangements, such as renting a garage space, requesting parking assistance from your employer, or taking public transportation and leaving your vehicle safely parked elsewhere.
Additional Consequences of Parking Tickets
While parking fines do not normally affect auto insurance premiums, ignoring them may result in greater hassles, such as the following:
A Boot Gets Placed on Your Car
Certain municipalities may slap a boot on the tire of your car to prevent it from rolling until the tickets are paid.
Along with the penalty, you are liable for paying for boot removal, which can cost up to $136 in major metro areas such as New York City.
Fees for Late Payments
The late costs associated with unpaid parking tickets can be rather high. If you do not pay your citation on time, your fees may be dramatically raised, up to double the initial fine amount or more.
While some jurisdictions have enacted legislation limiting governments’ ability to collect late fees, you may not want to risk accruing past-due fines on your violations.
Getting Your Vehicle Towed
If your car is towed and confiscated due to a series of parking citations, be prepared to spend a significant amount of money to recover it.
NBC 7 in San Diego aired an exposé on how much people were charged to obtain the release of their vehicle following unpaid parking citations.
They discovered that in 2019, some individuals paid between $2,733 and $5,055 to obtain the release of their vehicles. Worse yet, the city sold 1,452 of the 4,683 vehicles towed for unpaid traffic citations.