If You Plan On Getting Speeding Tickets This Year…
The New York Times has brought it to our attention that you can now buy speeding ticket insurance! Ticket Assurance will cover the cost of up to three moving or non-moving violations and two tow truck calls per year for $15.95 per month. The firm was founded by an Atlanta-area businessman who was inconvenienced as much by the process of dealing with taffic courts as he was by the fines he’d receive for speeding. “I didn’t want to take time out of my day to plead my case for something I knew was wrong,” says Terrence Byrd. “I thought there should be someone who should handle this.” So he started the firm which now has about 1,700 customers in 23 states. Subscribers are only covered for moving violation fines of $1k per year ($500 for non-moving), but Byrd says membership pays for itself if you receive $200 in fines per year. DUI, reckless driving and felony charges are not covered, nor are single moving violation fines of more than $350. All the restrictions take away much of the advantage over a radar detector, but if you know you are going to be speeding a lot, it might be worth the peace of mind.
More by Edward Niedermeyer
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No one plans to get a speeding ticket. They never plan for the second one. Or the third.... I'm a lawyer who fights tickets in the NYC area and surroundings. Tickets fall into everyone's "denial" mode, be they a CEO or a medical receptionist. They come to me late, or after the Court date. Everyone has a special story as to why/how/when. Fight every ticket. Really. A 71/50 here in NY means a $250.00 fine and a $300.00 points tax. THEN the insurance company gets you. The legal costs are far less than the potential hit. If you don't want or can't afford Counsel, do it yourself. Never "just pay" because Denial is making you want to 'make it go away'. The trip to the Courthouse is always worth it.
I'd also add, everyone should go to court just for the plain reason that they can not possibly handle the case load. Here in ATL, if you go, they'll have a guy just about beg you to not take it to court... no points, nothing on the record for insurance increases, just pay the fine (or even a reduced fine). The courts are simply overloaded as it is. Everybody go! And be sure to take your time presenting your case if you do make it in the court house.
When I received my ticket, it included a state "surcharge" in addition to the actual fine. I was at fault and was going to pay for the ticket. But the surcharge just pissed me off. I went to court solely to waste the state's money. I was found guilty, but I figure the cost to keep the building open, the judge, the cop, etc, way exceeded the cost of the ticket. Made sure I used plenty of toilet paper and towels, too. I can be a spiteful SOB if forced to. Using a day off was well worth it. Always go to court. Always.
I spoke with customer service and you can still go to court and try to get your ticket expunged if you want. They even say it on the website. For example, if you have a $200 ticket you can submit it to them and they will issue the money to you. You can also go to court with that ticket to get it reduced or expunged. So, in essence, you got a ticket, got it reduced/expunged (no points or insurance costs) and still be reimbursed for the original cost of the fine. So basically, they would have paid you $200 for going through the trouble of going to court. I think it's a great idea and hardly a scam as no_slushbox said.