will a new jersey geico insurance raise rates if you get a cellphone ticket with a clean record

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If you get a ticket for texting, your car insurance rates may go up, depending on your insurance company and state texting laws among.

state texting laws

There are few places in this country where you won't get busted for texting while behind the wheel. Currently, 48 states and Washington, D.C., have outlawed texting for all drivers, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.

If you get a texting ticket, will it raise your insurance rates? In most cases, yes. Whether or not texting tickets hike your rates a lot, a little or not at all depends on your insurance company and state laws, among other factors.

The average percentage rate increase after a texting ticket is 23%, but could be as low as 12% and as high as 45%, based on a survey of six insurance carriers in 10 ZIP codes in every state, commissioned by Insurance.com. That doesn't mean all carriers raise your rates, though.

"If you live in a state that treats a texting ticket as a moving violation, it's treated by insurance companies like any other minor ticket," says Michelle Megna, editorial director of Insurance.com. "But there's a big difference in how individual companies handle tickets. With some, a single ticket might not affect your rates at all. Others might decide you don't qualify for a good driver discount anymore. And some might actually raise your rates quite a bit."

And, in some states, it's illegal for car insurance companies to hike your rate for a texting ticket conviction. In Idaho and North Carolina, state laws prohibit insurers from raising rates based on texting violations.

Multiple moving violations on your record almost certainly guarantee a rate increase, Megna says.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

You may see a hike in your insurance rates after a texting ticket depending on your insurer and state laws.
The average rate increase after a texting ticket is 23%, however it could be as high as 45% or as low as 12%.
In some states, texting ticket adds points to your driving record apart from a fine and an insurance increase.
Insurance companies treat texting ticket differently, some may disqualify you for a good driver discount and others may increase your insurance rates.

Does texting while driving increases car insurance rates? Increases by state

It is no secret that most people use their cellphones while driving. The question is, does it increase your chances of getting a ticket and how much is a texting and driving ticket? It's a punishable offense in most states and leads to increased insurance rates. Let's explore how ticket prices vary by state, and which states have most expensive texting tickets:-

State	Average clean record rate	Average rate after texting ticket	Percent increase	Dollar increase
California	$1,708	$2,484	45%	$776
Ohio	$960	$1,290	34%	$330
Indiana	$1,094	$1,468	34%	$374
New Hampshire	$1,346	$1,802	34%	$456
Rhode Island	$2,364	$3,164	34%	$800
Massachusetts	$1,425	$1,900	33%	$476
Maine	$1,047	$1,353	29%	$306
Alaska	$1,254	$1,615	29%	$361
Texas	$1,767	$2,267	28%	$500
Florida	$2,382	$3,029	27%	$647
Michigan	$1,960	$2,478	26%	$518
New Mexico	$1,638	$2,071	26%	$433
Iowa	$1,118	$1,413	26%	$295
Illinois	$1,231	$1,554	26%	$323
South Dakota	$1,386	$1,748	26%	$362
Arkansas	$1,784	$2,250	26%	$467
Virginia	$1,007	$1,268	26%	$261
Utah	$1,244	$1,561	25%	$317
Alabama	$1,331	$1,660	25%	$329
Oregon	$1,370	$1,712	25%	$342
Arizona	$1,615	$2,010	24%	$395
Oklahoma	$1,722	$2,138	24%	$416
Georgia	$1,776	$2,195	24%	$419
Connecticut	$2,069	$2,554	23%	$485
New Jersey	$1,598	$1,967	23%	$370
Wisconsin	$933	$1,135	22%	$202
DC	$1,859	$2,239	20%	$381
Nevada	$1,580	$1,900	20%	$320
Delaware	$2,091	$2,502	20%	$411
Hawaii	$1,494	$1,784	19%	$290
Washington	$1,390	$1,657	19%	$267
Mississippi	$1,575	$1,877	19%	$302
Kansas	$1,528	$1,815	19%	$287
Maryland	$1,641	$1,947	19%	$306
North Dakota	$1,004	$1,177	17%	$173
West Virginia	$1,566	$1,835	17%	$269
South Carolina	$1,392	$1,629	17%	$237
Montana	$1,835	$2,145	17%	$309
Tennessee	$1,410	$1,648	17%	$238
Kentucky	$1,611	$1,862	16%	$251
Vermont	$1,098	$1,261	15%	$163
Nebraska	$1,360	$1,562	15%	$202
Pennsylvania	$1,306	$1,498	15%	$192
Missouri	$1,347	$1,536	14%	$190
Colorado	$1,659	$1,881	13%	$222
Wyoming	$2,012	$2,275	13%	$262
Louisiana	$2,001	$2,243	12%	$242
New York	$1,283	$1,435	12%	$152
National average			23%	$346

*Methodology: Insurance.com commissioned Quadrant Information Services to field rates from up to six major insurers in 10 ZIP codes in every state for a driver of a 2017 Honda Accord, age 40, with good credit and full coverage and $500 deductible; increases shown are an average from the base rate.

Texting and driving laws and points on license

Is a cell phone ticket a point on your record? Beyond a fine and an insurance increase, a texting ticket adds points to your driving record in some states. That's important because you could lose your license if you rack up too many. In California, for instance, four points in a 12-month period gets you a six-month license suspension and year-long probation.

Does a texting ticket raise insurance? Points affect car insurance. If they show up in a review of your driving record, they'll probably lead to a rate hike, especially if you have other infractions or have been in a recent accident.

You'll see in the chart below which states ban cellphones while driving -- unless you use a hands-free accessory -- and which have laws against texting and driving, as well as how those laws are enforced and if the penalty carries license points.

States	Hand-held ban/Talk only hands-free	All cellphone ban	Texting ban	Enforcement	License points
Alabama	No	Drivers age 16 and 17 who have held an intermediate license for less than 6 months.	All drivers	Primary	2
Alaska	No	No	All drivers	Primary
Arizona	All drivers	School bus drivers; and drivers under 18	Yes	Primary
Arkansas	Drivers ages 18 to 20 years of age; school and highway work zones	School bus drivers, drivers younger than 18	All drivers	Primary: for texting by all drivers and cell phone use by school bus drivers.
California	All drivers	School and transit bus drivers and drivers younger than 18	All drivers	Primary
Colorado	No	Drivers younger than 18	All drivers	Primary	4
Connecticut	All drivers	Drivers younger than 18, and school bus drivers	All drivers	Primary
Delaware	All drivers	Learner's permit and intermediate license holders and school bus drivers	All drivers	Primary
District of Columbia	All drivers	School bus drivers and learner's permit holders	All drivers	Primary
Florida	No	No	All drivers	Secondary	3 points for second offense; 6 points if accident
Georgia	All drivers	School bus drivers. Drivers younger than 18.	All drivers	Primary	1
Hawaii	All drivers	Drivers younger than 18	All Drivers	Primary
Idaho	No	No	All Drivers	Primary
Illinois	All drivers	Learner's permit holders younger than 19, drivers younger than 19, and school bus drivers	All drivers	Primary
Indiana	No	Drivers under the age of 21	All drivers	Primary
Iowa	No	Learner's permit and intermediate license holders	All drivers	Primary
Kansas	No	Learner's permit and intermediate license holders	All drivers	Primary
Kentucky	No	Drivers younger than 18, school bus drivers	All drivers	Primary	3
Louisiana	Learner or intermediate stages	School bus drivers, first year of license	All drivers	Primary
Maine	All drivers	Learner's permit and intermediate license holders; bus drivers	All drivers	Primary
Maryland	All drivers	Drivers under 18	All drivers	Primary	1 for third offense
Massachusetts	All drivers	School bus drivers, drivers younger than 18.	All drivers	Primary
Michigan	No	Level 1 or 2 license holders and school bus drivers.	All drivers	Primary
Minnesota	All drivers	School bus drivers, learner's permit holders and provisional license holders	All drivers	Primary
Mississippi	No	School bus drivers	All drivers	Primary
Missouri	No	No	Drivers 21 years or younger.	Primary
Montana	No	No	No	Not applicable
Nebraska	No	Learner's permit and intermediate license holders younger than 18	All drivers	Secondary	3
Nevada	All drivers	No	All drivers	Primary	4 for second offense
New Hampshire	All drivers	Drivers younger than 18	All drivers	Primary
New Jersey	All drivers	School bus drivers, and learner's permit and intermediate license holders	All drivers	Primary	3 for third offense
New Mexico	Local option	Learner's permit and intermediate license holders.	All Drivers	Primary
New York	All drivers	No	All drivers	Primary	5
North Carolina	No	Drivers younger than 18 and school bus drivers	All drivers	Primary
North Dakota	No	Drivers younger than 18	All drivers	Primary
Ohio	No	Drivers younger than 18	All drivers	Primary
Oklahoma	Learner's permit and intermediate license holders	No	All drivers	Primary
Oregon	All drivers	Drivers younger than 18	All drivers	Primary
Pennsylvania	No	No	All drivers	Primary
Puerto Rico	All drivers		All drivers	Primary
Rhode Island	Yes	School bus drivers and drivers younger than 18	All drivers	Primary
South Carolina	No	No	All drivers	Primary
South Dakota	No	Learner's permit and intermediate license holders	All drivers	Secondary
Tennessee	All drivers	School bus drivers, and learner's permit and intermediate license holders	All drivers	Primary
Texas	Drivers in school crossing zones	Bus drivers. Drivers younger than 18	All drivers	Primary
Utah	No	Drivers under	All drivers	Primary for texting; secondary for talking on hand-held phone
		the age of 18.
Vermont	All drivers	Drivers younger than 18	All drivers	Primary
Virgin Islands	Yes
Virginia	No	Drivers younger than 18 and school bus drivers	All drivers	Primary: for texting by all drivers.	3
				Secondary: for drivers younger than 18.
Washington	All drivers	Learner's permit and intermediate license holders.	All drivers	Primary
West Virginia	All drivers	Drivers younger than 18 who hold either a learner's permit or an intermediate license	All drivers	Primary	3 for third offense
Wisconsin	No	Learner's permit or intermediate license holder	All drivers	Primary	4
Wyoming	No	No	All drivers	Primary
Total	All drivers: 21 states and District of Columbia, Guam, Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.	School Bus drivers: 20 states and District of Columbia.	All Drivers: 46 states and District of Columbia, Guam, Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.	Primary for all drivers texting: 48 states, District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
		Teen drivers: 38 states and District of Columbia.		Secondary for all drivers texting: 4.

Source:

Governor's Highway Safety Association and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, February 2020.

FAQ for Texting While Driving Ticket

Is texting while driving illegal?

Yes, no matter what state you are in, texting while driving is illegal. But the laws and penalties may vary from state to state.

How Does a Cell Phone Ticket Impact Your Driving Record?

Texting while driving ticket will add points on your driving record in some states. And insurance premiums could go up as a result of that point on your record.

Is a cell phone ticket a moving violation?

A cell phone ticket is considered a moving violation in most states. If you live in a state that treats a texting ticket as a moving violation, it's treated by insurance companies like any other minor ticket. But there's a big difference in how individual companies handle tickets.

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