A traffic ticket usually comes with a fine. You could fight it, but it’s a lot of effort for something you can just pay to forget, right? Unfortunately, most people don’t realize that a traffic ticket comes with hidden costs. If you stop to think about the last time you got a ticket, you may realize what these hidden costs are.
Increased Car Insurance
The biggest silent expense resulting from a traffic ticket is the increase you will see in your car insurance. Insurance companies eventually get wind of your traffic ticket, and then your premiums jump. The insurance company suddenly considers you a “risk” because you “drove recklessly” and incurred a ticket. No matter how you argue this with the insurance company, you will be stuck paying higher insurance for the next two years.
A Background Check That Results in No Job
A traffic ticket goes on a public background check. This is the background check employers look at, as well as some landlords. Apparently if you get a traffic ticket, you are more likely to be reckless in other areas of your life, and therefore not as trustworthy. If the job you’re applying for is a commercial driving job or delivery person, you’re very unlikely to get the job versus an applicant with no record. That’s a loss of potential income or the loss of an apartment if a landlord checks this.
Lost Time When You’re Pulled Over Again
Nobody expects to be pulled over again for another traffic infraction. However, if you have one ticket, you may be pulled over again and issued a second ticket even if you should have been let off with a warning this time. That’s lost time waiting for the officer to investigate your records and lost time you may spend contesting this ticket in court. Do yourself a favor and hire a lawyer to defend you against the first ticket so you can avoid these hidden costs.
