Page 15 - AAA Every Day – AAA Hudson Valley – September/October 2021

Automotive Tickets:
Handle Them with Care
As people return to office and school routines after a long adventurous summer, congestion on roadways is almost back to pre-pandemic levels.
Longer commutes are on an upswing, along with auto claims, violations and traffic tickets. Whether a ticket is issued for a traffic violation, parking or for the vehicle itself (in- or out-of-state), all occurrences should be taken seriously. We’re here to let you know why any issued ticket should be dealt with in a timely fashion and what can happen to your auto insurance policy if it’s not.
The most misconceived notion about issued tickets
is the duration of the violation on your Motor Vehicle Record. Violations have two dates: the first date is
when the violation happened and the second is when
the person was convicted of the violation or the date
the ticket was officially closed. For insurance purposes, almost all carriers go by the conviction date. For example, if you received a speeding ticket in 2019 but did not take care of it until June 2021, that violation date will start as of the June 2021 date.
Parking tickets are usually a set amount due and will indicate the amount of the fine and the payment due date when issued. Typically, with other types of issued tickets, it will require you to plead either guilty or not guilty by mail within a certain time frame. If you plead guilty, you will receive a notice of the fine owed (if any) by mail and the payment due date. If a not guilty plea has been entered, you will be notified by mail of a set court date to appear
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in front of a judge. Your case will then be considered on that date, with the judge to make the final decision. You may be able to settle your fine at that time or be given a date by which the payment must be made. In most cases, the whole process may take 4-6 weeks.
If you wait until after the violation should have been resolved, your license could be suspended. Driving on a suspended license may result in a misdemeanor offense, along with fines, surcharges, the impounding of your vehicle, suspended registration and last, but not least, incarceration. All this can occur because of something as simple as a parking ticket was not taken care of.
Most insurance carriers will run your Motor Vehicle Record upon renewal, and depending on the length of time, if your license shows as suspended, you most likely will not be renewed. If you are in a car accident and your license is suspended, a non-renewal notice may be sent to you.
Once the violation is taken care of, it doesn’t just disappear from your Motor Vehicle Record. The violation may show for at least 5 years. Depending on the severity, and the number of violations, this activity may stay on your record for up to 10 years. While insurance carriers treat violations differently, a mishap like this could impact future rates for years to come.
The message is simple. No matter the violation, pay the fine and you should be fine. For more information, call your Personal Insurance Agent at 518-649-1717 or visit AAA.com/Insurance.
Eman Badr is a Certified Personal Insurance Agent and Manager of AAA Hudson Valley Insurance Agency.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 I 15
CAR CARE HANDBOOK