I find it interesting that many clients calling for a quote or completing an auto insurance quote request form assume that just because a ticket has been paid for that it won’t be counted when buying a policy. Paid for or not, most convicted driving infractions will be assigned a point value and will cause an increase in the insurance premiums. The surcharge on your insurance will remain for at least three years. The start date of the surcharge varies by company. Some base the charge as of the citation date, while others go based on the conviction date, and those two dates might be months or even years apart. Some companies are experimenting with charging for certain violations beyond three years, extending the period to as long as seven years. Drug, alcohol, and felony-related violations might go all the way to ten years before they cease to affect auto insurance acceptance and costs.

If you receive more than one violation during a traffic stop, most insurance companies will only charge you for what they think is the most egregious among them. The charge for the ticket might be waived if the incident also involves an accident, as the insurer might see the crash as more serious than the infractions.

Careless Driving

This often accompanies another ticket, like speeding or running a red light, and is left to the discretion of the ticketing officer if they think the driver’s actions exceeded what would have been considered reasonable. It is sometimes considered a medium to major violation by some insurers.

Open Container

A driver might pass sobriety tests at the scene of the traffic stop, but be caught with a container of alcohol opened and within reach of the driver. Most insurance companies see this as serious as a driving while intoxicated violation and either apply a major surcharge or refuse to insure altogether.

Defective Equipment

Insurance companies often ignore this violation and do not apply a surcharge. It can be a very broad category that includes things like inoperable headlights, taillights, signals, or license plate lights.

Traffic Control Device

Often referred to as running a stop sign or stoplight, the traffic control device violation is one of the most common. Technology allows cameras posted at intersections to capture pictures and video of a car and its driver failing to stop when a light is red or to remain in place at a no-turn-on-red intersection.

Drag Racing

Exceeding the speed limit is one thing, but to do so after the car’s tires have lost traction or controlled contact with the ground, often leaving tire tracks, takes the infraction to a higher severity level. Modern cars have technology that allows the driver to accelerate rapidly and safely to the desired speed using onboard computers. Drag racing does not include the safe aspect, placing other drivers and pedestrians at risk.

Speeding

This breaks down into three major categories: speeding less than fifteen miles per hour over the limit, speeding fifteen miles per hour or more over the limit, and speeding in a school zone during school hours or while the light is blinking. The fine and penalty may vary among the three. Most insurers view the latter two as major violations.

Driving Under the Influence

Most drivers mistakenly view this as an alcohol-only violation. They couldn’t be more wrong. If there is anything in the driver’s system that impairs their ability to drive safely, that can lead to an arrest, citation, and conviction for driving under the influence. Prescription drugs and illegal street drugs that affect a driver’s ability to maintain proper control of an automobile can also lead to a conviction under this heading.

Auto Theft

If a driver is convicted of theft of a vehicle or committing a felony while operating a vehicle, most insurers will either deny the application or refuse to quote the client. The companies that might accept the driver would do so, but at a very high cost.

Eluding Police

This fits into the major violation category and often accompanies other violations such as speeding, reckless driving, and anything else an officer can make stick once the driver is apprehended.

Following Too Close

The most common reason why a driver is cited for following to close is for causing a rear-end accident. Check the driver’s manual for calculations on the safe distance a driver must maintain to avoid collision with a vehicle ahead based on speed and road conditions. Other factors, such as tire tread and the condition of the brakes, can influence how long it takes to stop.

Failure to Yield

This infraction applies to several scenarios. Your car could traverse a crosswalk occupied by a pedestrian, you might fail to pull to the right and stop, waiting for an emergency vehicle to pass, or a police officer might observe you not slowing down for a stopped emergency vehicle or disabled automobile. It’s usually considered a minor violation and might be coupled with an accident.

Vehicular Homicide/Manslaughter

It’s heartbreaking for all parties involved when someone dies in a car accident. If a surviving driver is found to be negligent in an accident that led to the death of another, whether passenger or pedestrian, an officer might charge the driver with a crime, and the driver must face the possibility of prosecution and the justice system. This is one of only a handful of citations that could result in jail time. Insurers are reluctant to even insure a driver convicted of vehicular manslaughter and treat it as a major violation if they do offer a policy.

Improper Passing

This offense may also include anything related to improper lane usage. Whether you pass on the right, pass on a double yellow line, or travel in a center lane meant for a turn or hold lane, you could be cited with an improper passing or lane usage violation. It’s usually a minor citation.

Improper Turn

This one could simply mean that you didn’t come to a full stop before making a right or left-hand turn. Or it could mean that you disobeyed a sign that said no left turn or no turn on red. It’s often interchangeable with a sign or signal violation.

License Violation

A driver must have a valid driver’s license to operate a vehicle, or if the driver has a permit only, then they must be accompanied by a licensed driver. Oregon allows companies to sell auto insurance policies to unlicensed or permit-only drivers, which sets them up for a possible traffic stop and citation. The way to remedy this is to take and pass the written and driving tests and pay the fees. Expired licenses also fit into this category, which most insurance companies treat as a minor violation. This ticket is not the same as a driving while suspended violation as defined later in this article.

Hit and Run

A driver may be charged with hit and run if they fail to remain at the scene until a police officer arrives or refuse to share insurance and driver information and then depart. It may take some investigative work by law enforcement to track down the perpetrator of a hit-and-run accident, but if they catch the driver, the citation usually falls into the major violation category. It is also often referred to as leaving the scene of an accident or failure to perform the duties of a driver. Why would a driver want to flee an accident? It could be they want to escape responsibility for the increased cost of their insurance; they might be wanted for criminal charges, have a suspended license, or were driving without insurance. If caught, insurance companies rarely charge extra for this ticket as it combines with an accident, the worst of the two.

No Insurance

Severe punishments are in place for drivers who are caught operating a vehicle without insurance. Police officers have ways of knowing whether an automobile has insurance before even executing a traffic stop. Along with a fine, an officer may order the car to be towed to an impound lot, costing the driver for the towing and storage charges. Then, the Oregon DMV will impose a one-year SR22 requirement to assure the driver will maintain insurance in the future. If an accident was involved, at-fault or not, then that SR22 requirement could be extended to three years. If the insurance with an SR22 certificate isn’t maintained, the DMV will suspend the driver’s license or privileges.

Refusal to Test

When an officer suspects a driver is impaired by drugs or alcohol, and the driver refuses to blow into a breath analysis device or to perform physical field sobriety tests, they might be cited for test refusal. This often results in an arrest and possibly a forced blood test. If convicted, the driver will have a ticket on their record that is treated by most insurance companies the same as a driving under the influence violation, which may carry a suspension of license and an SR22 requirement.

Reckless Driving

A reckless driving conviction usually means the driver gave no consideration for the consequences of their actions when operating a vehicle. It could be a companion ticket to excessive speed, drag racing, DUI, eluding police, or an accident, and is treated by insurers as a major violation.

Passing a School Bus

If a school bus is stopped and has its red lights flashing and a stop sign extended, and you pass the bus either from the opposite direction or from behind, you could be charged with this serious citation. Modern buses often have cameras that record the license plate of a car that passes when stopped and lights flashing, and the registered owner will later receive a citation by mail. Most insurers charge for this as a major violation.

Driving While Suspended

Driving while your license or privileges are suspended or revoked can lead to a huge fine and potential towing of your vehicle. There are various ways your license or privileges could be suspended. Failure to pay a fine, to maintain an SR22, to pay child support, or comply with driving restrictions due to previous infractions, convictions, or accidents. Bypassing an interlock device or driving a car without one counts as one of those restrictions and could lead to a driving while suspended conviction. Some insurers treat driving while suspended as one of the worst tickets you can get and charge enormous premiums for each violation.

Wrong Way

If you find yourself driving against oncoming traffic, you are probably responsible for driving the wrong way. It’s usually a minor offense for insurance purposes but it often accompanies a charge for an accident.

Seatbelt

Officers may observe you driving without a seatbelt and will do nothing. But if you are caught speeding or running a red light and are not wearing your seatbelt, they might add that ticket to the mix. Included in this category is the failure of the driver to secure a child in an approved safety seat or booster. It is the responsibility of every driver who carries small passengers to be sure they are in the proper seat and facing the right way, depending on the age and size. The way insurers treat seatbelt and child safety seat violations varies from not at all to a major ticket.

Failure to Signal

We’ve all seen the driver who weaves in and out of traffic without using their blinker. The ticket for failure to signal properly, soon enough and long enough before a turn, is considered a minor infraction by most auto insurance companies.

Safety Violation

This is a catch-all violation that may include improper lights, tinted windows, or an obstructed view. Sometimes companies charge for them as minor infractions, sometimes not.

Cell Phone Use

Whether you are caught talking on your phone without a hands-free device, scrolling on your phone, or texting, you could get a tidy little fine and a ticket that some companies won’t even touch. Oregon can even consider criminal charges if misuse of a cellphone while driving leads to an accident or injury.

Minor Moving Violation

This last category is where all the violations that don’t fit into the above categories can be placed. Sometimes a violation on your Oregon driving record appears as a minor moving violation because it came from another state and doesn’t translate well on this state’s record.

There might be more violations that show up on your driving record that you don’t see here that are more specific to commercial rigs or special circumstances. Feel free to call, text, or fill out the contact form if you have specific questions about items that appear on your driving record. Sometimes they are on there in error, and we can talk you through the steps to have them changed or removed.