Will a seatbelt violation raise your insurance rate?

Answer 1

Possibly, though it probably wouldn't be much. It depends somewhat on your record, past citations, etc, but if you've got a relatively clean record, any increase you see would probably me minor.

Of course, it's impossible to speak for your insurance company. Your agent would be able to tell you more specifics. And, in case you're wondering, your carrier will most likely find out about the violation, so you might as well own up to it now.

Another thing: Depending on the coverage laws in your state -- for instance, are you required to carry medical coverage on your policy -- the violation might not affect your rates at all. If you're not required to carry medical coverage, and your carrier wouldn't be paying your medical bills in case of a loss, they might not care at all that you don't wear a seatbelt. If you do have medical coverage on your policy, however, you can pretty much count on an increase, because with the violation, you've essentially told the insurance company that you're willing to take the risk of sustaining more serious injuries in a car accident. That sounds harsh, I know, but it's how insurance policies are rated: increased risk, increased premium.

Good luck!

My insurance rate was increased from $130 a month to $260 because I was pulled over, six months ago, for not wearing a seatbelt.

It will really depend on what state you're in and what your insurance companies policies are. My insurance company (Countrywide), doesn't continuously pull up my driving record to determine if they should raise my rates. Instead, they wait until I initiate a rate change and then they do a search to determine if I have any tickets.

Being from Minnesota, all of that doesn't matter to me though, because in Minnesota, seatbelt violations do NOT show up on your record.