Although no one ever wakes up in the morning and sets out to get a ticket, it happens to people everyday and happens to most of us at one time or another. Many people think that their only option is to pay the ticket and move on, but there are actually other options out there that can save you money on your ticket. In fact, the cost of just one ticket can end up being over $1000 for many people when you factor in all the costs that come with a ticket. To better illustrate the effects that one ticket can have, let’s use an example. Meet Paul. Paul just got a speeding ticket for $200 and his monthly insurance costs are $200 monthly.
Paul Can Just Pay the Ticket: $2700
Paul’s first option is to do what 90% of other people do and just pay the ticket. What many people don’t understand when they decide to just pay their ticket, is that the costs go far beyond what is written on the ticket itself. First of all, in addition to the fine on the ticket, there will be an average of $100 added to the ticket for court fees. This makes the ticket cost $300. In addition, even though there isn’t a points system in Hawaii, the ticket will be reported to your insurance company. As a result they will increase your insurance rates. The average increase is 20%. In this case, a 20% increase would raise insurance rates by $40 monthly. The ticket will stay on your record for five years, which means an extra $40 every month for 60 months, or $2400 extra in insurance costs. That means that just one speeding ticket actually will cost $2700.
Paul Can Take Hawaii Traffic School: $335 or less
Paul’s second option is to get permission to take online Hawaii traffic school. Many courts will allow you to take traffic school online so that the ticket is dismissed and not reported to your insurance company. This will save Paul $2400 in insurance costs. He may still have to pay the full fine of the ticket and court fees, $300, but in many cases the fines are reduced if someone takes traffic school. The average cost of traffic school in Hawaii is $35, so the most Paul will pay is $335 for the ticket fine and traffic school online.
Paul Can Fight the Ticket in Court: $0 or $2700
Finally, Paul can choose to fight the ticket in court and take his chances winning his case. If he wins Paul will not have to pay anything for the ticket and it will be completely removed from his record. If Paul loses however, he will lose the option to take traffic school and will end up spending $2700 on the ticket, court costs, and insurance rate increases.