Do parking tickets raise insurance rates?

Dec. 9, 2018. Many factors are considered by insurers when calculating your insurance premiums. Among them are your driving history, driving violations, at-fault accidents and your vehicle type. Do parking tickets affect your insurance premiums?

Traffic infraction types

Traffic violations can affect your insurance in different ways depending on the severity of the infraction.

Minor infractions such as speeding, improper passing, traffic light and stop sign infractions, and not signaling may raise your insurance rate.

Major infractions such as insurance offenses, speeding in a school or construction zone, and failing to report an accident will affect your insurance.

Criminal infractions such as impaired driving, racing, dangerous driving, or speeding 50 km over the speed limit will have a serious impact on your insurance premiums.

Demerit points

Traffic violations come with demerit points. Demerit points don’t affect your insurance rates but tickets do. However, if you get enough demerit points you will have your license suspended and that will raise your insurance rate.

Parking ticket types

Parking tickets are not moving violations and therefore not considered to be traffic violations. Canadian cities have their own parking regulations but common tickets include:

• Parking in a no parking zone
• Parking in a no stopping zone
• Parking near a fire hydrant
• Parking in a disabled parking zone
• Parking in a snow route or fire route zone

Do parking tickets affect your insurance rates?

Parking tickets do not raise your insurance rates but having your license suspended for not paying them will. Because parking tickets are not a moving violation they will not affect your insurance. But you do need to pay your parking tickets before you can renew your license plate. If your driver’s license is suspended for not paying them, it can end up on your driving record and raise your rates that way.

However, if the ticket is from a private company, it is not legally binding and not paying it will not result in your license being suspended. The company could take you to court but the expense usually isn’t worth it.

So while most driving violations will affect your insurance rate in some way, parking tickets are not something you have to worry will have an adverse effect unless you don’t pay them.