How much does a speeding ticket increase insurance Alberta

In Alberta, exceeding the speed limit by just one kilometer might result in a speeding ticket. Your auto insurance, which is governed at the provincial level by the Alberta Insurance Act's Automobile Insurance Premium Regulation provision, is affected by speeding fines. The severity and quantity of your speeding fines determine how much of an effect they have on your auto insurance. We'll look more closely at how speeding fines impact your insurance in this post.

How does a speeding ticket affect my insurance in Alberta?

There are two categories of speeding tickets:

• Regular Traffic Violation/Safety Conviction
• Speeding 1 – 49 km/h over the limit


• Serious Traffic Violation/Safety Conviction
• Speeding 50 km/h or more over the limit
• Speeding in a school or playground zone

Depending on your current auto insurance rate, a surcharge will be levied in both situations. Whether you were given a traffic infraction for exceeding the speed limit by 1 km/h or 49 km/h, the cost will be the same.

In general, your insurance prices will increase as you accrue more tickets, particularly if you are speeding enough to receive a significant traffic infraction.

How long will a speeding ticket affect my car insurance rates in Alberta?

Generally speaking, a speeding ticket for a routine traffic infraction stays on your record for three years after you pay the payment. A speeding ticket for a significant traffic infraction may be on your record for a longer period of time.

Why do your car insurance rates go up with speeding tickets?

Nearly 25% of drivers involved in fatal collisions in Alberta in 2016 were speeding, according to Alberta Traffic Collision Statistics (opens PDF). Excessive speeding was identified as the leading cause of traffic fatalities in Ontario in 2017. Injuries and non-injury collisions are also influenced by speed.

After receiving a speeding ticket, your insurance company will raise your premiums because they believe you are a more dangerous driver who is more likely to be in an accident. Insurance companies consider you to be riskier the more serious your citations are and the more tickets you have.

Exception: Photo Radar Speeding Tickets

Photo radar citations have no effect on your insurance, just as they don't affect your license or appear on your official driving record. Therefore, there won't be any fees if you have a number of photo radar tickets but have never been stopped and given a ticket.

Paying Speeding Tickets & The Impact on Your Car Insurance

Unless you are "convicted"—that is, the court date indicated on the ticket if you wish to contest it or the date you pay your ticket—speeding tickets in Alberta don't appear on your record.

Your auto insurance won't be impacted if you are unable to pay your speeding ticket or decide not to. You won't be able to access register services relating to vehicles, though, and you'll be charged late fines. Visit the Government of Alberta Fine Payment page to learn more about your options for paying your fine..