Do texting and driving tickets affect car insurance rates?

Does a texting while driving ticket raise car insurance rates?

Getting a ticket for texting while driving is likely to mean a rate increase. The increase , however, varies by state. Take a look at the average rate increase after a texting ticket by state.

State	Average clean record rate	Average rate after texting ticket	Percent increase	Dollar increase
Alaska	$1,676	$1,986	19%	$310
Alabama	$1,860	$2,341	26%	$481
Arkansas	$1,957	$2,618	34%	$661
Arizona	$1,812	$2,362	30%	$550
California	$2,416	$3,651	51%	$1,235
Colorado	$2,337	$2,844	22%	$507
Connecticut	$1,725	$2,247	30%	$522
Washington, D.C.	$2,157	$2,489	15%	$332
Delaware	$2,063	$2,664	29%	$601
Florida	$2,694	$3,174	18%	$480
Georgia	$1,970	$2,427	23%	$457
Hawaii	$1,517	$1,731	14%	$214
Iowa	$1,630	$2,037	25%	$407
Idaho	$1,428	$1,721	20%	$293
Illinois	$1,532	$1,927	26%	$395
Indiana	$1,515	$1,955	29%	$440
Kansas	$1,900	$2,276	20%	$376
Kentucky	$2,228	$2,692	21%	$464
Louisiana	$2,883	$3,501	21%	$618
Massachusetts	$1,726	$2,082	21%	$356
Maryland	$1,746	$2,205	26%	$459
Maine	$1,175	$1,475	26%	$300
Michigan	$2,352	$3,122	33%	$770
Minnesota	$1,911	$2,379	25%	$468
Missouri	$1,982	$2,417	22%	$435
Mississippi	$2,008	$2,552	27%	$544
Montana	$2,193	$2,667	22%	$474
North Carolina	$1,741	$2,421	39%	$680
North Dakota	$1,665	$1,933	16%	$268
Nebraska	$1,902	$2,215	16%	$313
New Hampshire	$1,265	$1,586	25%	$321
New Jersey	$1,902	$2,732	44%	$830
New Mexico	$2,049	$2,439	19%	$390
Nevada	$2,060	$2,667	29%	$607
New York	$1,870	$2,044	9%	$174
Ohio	$1,417	$1,917	35%	$500
Oklahoma	$2,138	$2,628	23%	$490
Oregon	$1,678	$2,171	29%	$493
Pennsylvania	$1,872	$2,154	15%	$282
Rhode Island	$2,061	$2,929	42%	$868
South Carolina	$2,009	$2,542	27%	$533
South Dakota	$2,280	$2,651	16%	$371
Tennessee	$1,677	$2,099	25%	$422
Texas	$2,043	$2,497	22%	$454
Utah	$1,825	$2,239	23%	$414
Virginia	$1,469	$1,810	23%	$341
Vermont	$1,319	$1,895	44%	$576
Washington	$1,608	$1,994	24%	$386
Wisconsin	$1,664	$2,068	24%	$404
West Virginia	$2,005	$2,458	23%	$453
Wyoming	$1,758	$1,974	12%	$216

*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.

Use our traffic ticket calculator to find out how traffic violations like texting while driving affect rates.

Does a texting while driving ticket add points on your 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 car insurance rates if it points on your license? Points almost always lead to a rate increase, regardless of the reason.

State laws for cell phone use while driving

Below are the laws by state for cell phone use, including which states have laws against texting and driving, 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.

Frequently asked questions: Texting while driving tickets

Is texting while driving illegal?

Yes, in almost every state. The exceptions are Montana, which has no law, and Missouri, where it's illegal only if you are under 21.

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 auto insurance companies handle tickets.

How much is a ticket for texting while driving?

The amount of the ticket will vary by state, as well as whether it is your first distracted driving violation. The fine goes up for each subsequent violation.

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