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Colorado speeding consequences: Motorists get dinged more than once

On Behalf of | Mar 22, 2021 | Traffic Violations |

State Farm – 15.8%. Geico – 22%. Farmers – 26%. Progressive – 28%.

As a Colorado motorist, might you reasonably want to know a bit more about the underlying details linked with those numbers?

An initial point to note is that they don’t signify motorist discounts for good driving behavior.

What they instead underscore is this: penalty assessments that redefine vehicle insurance premiums for drivers caught speeding in Colorado.

And here’s a caveat tied to those rate spikes: They represent “average” premium increases following pedal-to-the-metal offenses. Some Colorado drivers suffer penalty hikes that are far higher, depending on a number of factors. Rate assessors will take a look at things like these:

  • Prior behind-the-wheel history (Was that speeding ticket a one-off deal or just the latest in a series of infractions?)
  • Time elapsed since your most recent prior speeding ticket or other moving infraction (two months versus 10 years is arguably a relevant consideration)
  • Location of alleged offense (e.g., freeway or a school zone?)
  • Speed the vehicle was clocked at (an obviously key determinant; for example, 50 miles per hour in a 35-mph zone versus 100-plus mph in any locale)

Colorado drivers often underestimate the sting in a speeding ticket, tending to view it from a narrow prism linked just with what state authorities demand be paid. The amped-up insurance-spike reality frequently doesn’t sink in until later, when many motorists realize it is the penalty that carries truly outsized consequences.

Some insurers will stick with newly mandated post-violation rates for lengthy periods that can last for years. And switching companies won’t change things, given that insurers freely exchange relevant driving information.

It is often in the best interests of a ticketed motorist to timely and vigorously contest a speeding infraction or other moving violation.

A proven and results-oriented traffic violation legal defense team can play a key role helping a driver do that, working diligently to promote a best-case outcome and dampen the downsides of a ticket challenge.

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