Legal · free calculator
Speeding ticket true cost
Total cost of a speeding ticket including the fine, court fees, insurance premium increase over 3 years, and traffic school if needed.
True 3-year cost
Show the work
- Insurance impact$0
- Hard costs (ticket + school)$325
The ticket isn't the cost — the insurance hike is
The fine printed on the ticket is the smallest line item. The real cost is your insurance premium going up 15-30% for 3 years after the points hit your record.
The math
A $250 ticket on a $1,600/yr premium with a 22% hike becomes:
- Ticket: $250
- Insurance impact: $1,600 × 22% × 3 years = $1,056
- True cost: $1,306
Why traffic school is almost always worth it
For $50-100 + 8 hours of online video, traffic school in most states masks the points entirely — no insurance impact. That converts a $1,300 cost into a $325 cost. The math always favors traffic school unless you're ineligible (CDL holders, multiple recent tickets) or the violation already triggers points-from-day-one (DUI, reckless).
The fight-it option
Hire a traffic attorney ($150-400) to negotiate to a non-moving violation (defective equipment, no-points). This is often the right move for tickets >$500 in tickets-or-license-on-the-line situations.
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