
Sign up & start saving!
Get our weekly newsletter for the latest in money news, credit card offers + more ways to save
Finder is committed to editorial independence. While we receive compensation when you click links to partners, they do not influence our content.
Updated
People speed far more often than any other driving mistakes, with the need for speed striking Millennials the most. But ignoring incoming texts can help you avoid the biggest cause for a car insurance premium hike.
Speeding tops the list as the most common driving offense, according to a 2019 Finder survey about recent tickets and claims drivers have experienced. About 14% of people surveyed confessed to a speeding ticket in the last 12 months.
If you break that down by age group, Millennials got flagged the most for speeding, at nearly 21% of those surveyed. Compare that to about 15% of Gen Xers who were caught zooming along, and 9% for Baby Boomers.
Common driving infractions | % |
---|---|
Speeding | 14.46% |
Running a red light | 4.06% |
Texting and driving | 3.53% |
At-fault collision | 2.71% |
Not at-fault collision | 3.43% |
Driving under the influence | 2.95% |
Other ticket | 4.55% |
Other claim | 1.26% |
Our Finder survey reveals texting while driving brings the highest car insurance hikes, with an average $1,400 increase above previous rates. Insurers may be cracking down on this offense because it can lead to serious accidents.
That number stands hundreds of dollars higher than other infractions, like DUIs and at-fault collisions. DUIs can hike up rates by $1,200, and at-fault collisions go up $1,100.
Claim | Premium increase by year |
---|---|
Texting and driving | $1,410.60 |
Drunk driving | $1,204.57 |
At-fault collision | $1,096.55 |
Running a red light | $291.05 |
Speeding | $259.19 |
Not at-fault collision | $142.00 |
Other ticket | $162.40 |
Other claim | $44.15 |
After a speeding ticket, insurance could cost an extra $22 monthly or $260 annually, according to Finder survey respondents.
Why doesn’t speeding affect your insurance rate that much? Speeding is considered a less risky offense than, say, a DUI. Every insurer has its own criteria for what constitutes a serious traffic offense and its effect on your premium. A record of safe driving may also bring less of a rate hike after your first speeding offense.
Men receive more speeding tickets than women overall. They also get pulled over for DUIs or texting while driving over three times as often as women do.
Nearly 17% of men received speeding tickets in the last 12 months compared to 12% of women, our Finder survey shows. About 5% of men but only about 1% of women confessed to drunk driving or texting while driving in the last year.
Driving offense | Percentage of men | Percentage of women |
---|---|---|
Texting and driving | 5.47% | 1.63% |
Speeding | 16.62% | 12.44% |
Driving under the influence | 4.59% | 1.34% |
Running a red light | 5.18% | 3.06% |
At-fault collision | 2.93% | 2.49% |
Not at-fault collision | 3.42% | 3.54% |
Other ticket | 4.89% | 4.31% |
Other claim | 1.66% | 0.86% |
No ticket or claim in the last 12 months | 71.46% | 77.99% |
Millennials harbor the most offenses of all — from running red lights to DUIs. However, speeding runs rampant as the highest offense in all age groups.
At the same time, Gen Xers face the highest insurance premium increases for driving infractions. For example, a Gen X driver who lands a DUI may see rates jump nearly $2,200. DUIs for Millennials only hike up insurance by $520, and $700 for Baby Boomers, according to survey respondents.
Driving offense | Millennials | Gen X | Baby Boomers |
---|---|---|---|
Texting and driving | 5.67% | 4.71% | 0.55% |
Speeding | 20.91% | 14.82% | 8.78% |
Driving under the influence | 4.21% | 3.32% | 1.51% |
Running a red light | 6.16% | 4.29% | 2.19% |
At-fault collision | 3.89% | 2.49% | 1.92% |
Not at-fault collision | 4.70% | 2.91% | 3.02% |
Other ticket | 6.32% | 4.71% | 3.02% |
Other claim | 1.62% | 1.25% | 0.96% |
No ticket or claim in the last 12 months | 64.18% | 74.38% | 84.09% |
To uncover which driving mistakes people make the most, we surveyed 2,068 people ages 18 and older in August 2019. The survey was distributed by Pure Profile.
We asked drivers if they’ve ever received a ticket for a list of driving infringements or filed a claim with their car insurer in the last 12 months. We also asked how much the ticket or claim increased their car insurance premium.
Note that increased premiums could have included factors other than just the ticket or accident, and some drivers may have under-reported driving offenses.
Allan Givens
Public Relations Manager
203-818-2928
allan.givens@finder.com
Nicole Gallina
Communications Coordinator
347-677-4931
nicole.gallina@finder.com
Since driving uninsured comes with steep penalties, look at your coverage options or consider alternatives.
If you’re relaxed behind the wheel, you’ll want to steer clear of these states with the strictest driving laws.
Compare the good and the risky sides of driving when you’re a senior.
Finder analyzes which industries are most at risk of financial ruin due to shelter-in-place orders during the coronavirus and which might survive it.
Don’t push your Irish luck by driving during the worst times on Shamrock Day.
When are you allowed to use your phone while driving in each state?
Know what to do after a license suspension, like whether you can drive or what fees to pay.
Bikers get into more serious collisions than car drivers — often due to drunk driving and speeding
Learn which cities and states have the lowest and highest premiums to get out on the road.
While it can help you drive for Uber or Lyft, consider the high fees before signing up.