State Farm - Ticket Policy

[sunnyCBR]

Good Morning All,

So unfortunately I have picked up my first ticket on the bike . OPP got me while cornering on the QEW, he was driving in the middle late and I in the outside. His 'rear radar' picked me up as I approached but didn't pass by him. I didn't know my speed until he told me, as I was focused on the corner - guess I had picked up going around the bend. The officer did not put the full speed on the ticket, as he reduced it but he did put the "R" code on it and warned me if I fight it that I would be fighting the original speed. So I can only assume he put that in his notes/on file.

In relation to the ticket, I have a few questions about how State Farm works. I've been reading on here and gather that the actual speed/points make no difference, that all count as a conviction and go towards your 'limit'. Can anyone verify those details? Does the points/speed matter for the premium, and what is the 'limit'. Is it 2 tickets per 2 seasons?

Anyways, any information would be useful in my decision process on if I should fight it or not. Thanks all, I know this may seem like more than an insurance question but right now I'm mostly focused on the implications with State Farm.

[r6rollin]

My understanding on how state farm works is that they have a 3 ticket policy, if you have 3 convictions they wont insure you and it can be any combo of convictions so two speeding and an accident for example

[Katherine]

Tickets are on your record for three years, so if you have more than two in three years, you're ineligible.

Points have NO bearing on insurance. That's an MTO thing.

[GreyGhost]

Check out Vifferfun 's posts on State farm. IIRC statefarm is about 10% increase for the first minor ticket and you lose your conviction free discount of another 15% or so. They won't cut you free for the first ticket, but you will feel the pain.

As others have said, insurance counts convictions, most consider all speeding tickets less than 49 km/h over as equal.

If you aren't risking losing your license by fighting the ticket, fighting is almost always the better way to go.

[sunnyCBR]

Check out Vifferfun 's posts on State farm. IIRC statefarm is about 10% increase for the first minor ticket and you lose your conviction free discount of another 15% or so. They won't cut you free for the first ticket, but you will feel the pain.

As others have said, insurance counts convictions, most consider all speeding tickets less than 49 km/h over as equal.

If you aren't risking losing your license by fighting the ticket, fighting is almost always the better way to go.

Thanks, that's sort of what I have been gathering from the information around here and the few riders I know.

I guess now I'll have to look into what can be done to fight the ticket. Thanks for the information GreyGhost, Katherine and r6rollin!

[sunnyCBR]

Tickets are on your record for three years, so if you have more than two in three years, you're ineligible.

Points have NO bearing on insurance. That's an MTO thing.

So you can get two minor tickets, and then on your third you would be ineligible?

[VifferFun]

Katherine, would you mind elaborating on State Farm's conviction surcharge a little? I believe that, on their first minor conviction, a SF client would:

a.) Lose their Plan A status (or something similar) -- perhaps an increase of ~15%?
b.) Have a conviction surcharge added to their policy -- perhaps an increase of ~10%?

I think my agent might have mentioned that the impact varied depending on your tenure with SF as well? Some clarification would be much appreciated

[strictlye]

My understanding on how state farm works is that they have a 3 ticket policy, if you have 3 convictions they wont insure you and it can be any combo of convictions so two speeding and an accident for example

This is generally accurate. But under rare circumstances they will keep you as a customer and simply charge you a premium surcharge on the 4 offences like they did for me. I was with them for over 10yrs and an excellent customer so they didn't want to lose me.
They charged me a $6000 surcharge on top of my regular premiums. My insurance on my Civic went from $140/mth to $679/mth!!!!

Oh and here's the kicker. They don't care if the conviction is for a moving offence or not. Blown headlight = Higher premiums with them.


F--k Statefarm!

[VifferFun]

This is generally accurate. But under rare circumstances they will keep you as a customer and simply charge you a premium surcharge on the 4 offences like they did for me. I was with them for over 10yrs and an excellent customer so they didn't want to lose me.
They charged me a $6000 surcharge on top of my regular premiums. My insurance on my Civic went from $140/mth to $679/mth!!!!

Oh and here's the kicker. They don't care if the conviction is for a moving offence or not. Blown headlight = Higher premiums with them.


F--k Statefarm!

$6000 surcharge?

[Katherine]

Katherine, would you mind elaborating on State Farm's conviction surcharge a little? I believe that, on their first minor conviction, a SF client would:

a.) Lose their Plan A status (or something similar) -- perhaps an increase of ~15%?
b.) Have a conviction surcharge added to their policy -- perhaps an increase of ~10%?

I think my agent might have mentioned that the impact varied depending on your tenure with SF as well? Some clarification would be much appreciated

I'm not aware of exact percentages. If you're in A plan, a minor ticket usually doesn't affect anything but two could have you moved to B plan. New business can't be A plan if you have any tickets in the last 3 years or at-fault accidents in the last 6 years. You must have a full G license and six years of driving experience to be in A plan. You can't have a motorcycle in A plan unless you have a car with SF and your household meets the A plan eligibility requirements I just mentioned.

For those that have stand-alone bike policies with SF, you are in B plan.

[VifferFun]

I'm not aware of exact percentages. If you're in A plan, a minor ticket usually doesn't affect anything but two could have you moved to B plan. New business can't be A plan if you have any tickets in the last 3 years or at-fault accidents in the last 6 years. You must have a full G license and six years of driving experience to be in A plan. You can't have a motorcycle in A plan unless you have a car with SF and your household meets the A plan eligibility requirements I just mentioned.

For those that have stand-alone bike policies with SF, you are in B plan.

Thanks Katherine! That's really informative!

[VifferFun]

Hey Guys -- here is a decision tree that should help you determine where you stand with regards to State Farm's Plan A and Plan B, along with some useful Discount and Surcharge information. Enjoy!

http://i982.photobucket.com/albums/a...mPlanTiers.jpg

[sunnyCBR]

So some details that my friend got calling a state farm agent on my behalf (wasn't sure if I called if there was anyway this would reflect on my record). Silly I know.

I would be a "B" insurance policy as it is a motorcycle only, not a car and rider (type A) policy.. The person on the phone suggested this means they don't regularly check your license, as it costs them $30 each time they check with the ministry. It is possible they won't find out about the ticket, but the limit is in fact (3 tickets within 3 years). Then they would give you 30 days notice if they were going to cancel your policy.

Not sure if that information is 100% accurate, specifically the part about them checking your license for the tickets? Anyone know more about that?

[VifferFun]

So some details that my friend got calling a state farm agent on my behalf (wasn't sure if I called if there was anyway this would reflect on my record). Silly I know.

I would be a "B" insurance policy as it is a motorcycle only, not a car and rider (type A) policy.. The person on the phone suggested this means they don't regularly check your license, as it costs them $30 each time they check with the ministry. It is possible they won't find out about the ticket, but the limit is in fact (3 tickets within 3 years). Then they would give you 30 days notice if they were going to cancel your policy.

Not sure if that information is 100% accurate, specifically the part about them checking your license for the tickets? Anyone know more about that?

Companies strategically decide who they will order MVRs for (i.e. your convictions history) since it does cost a fair amount of money. Many companies now use statistical methods to determine the people most likely to have incurred a conviction over the last year, and order MVRs for this group only. Other companies order MVRs for a random sampling of clients every year. Other companies ensure that they order an MVR at least once every three years for each policyholder. It is all up to the company . . . there is no standard practice.

If you are on Plan B, I can guess that you are more likely to have your MVR checked than someone on Plan A.

FYI, MVRs are ALWAYS ordered for a new client before the policy is approved by underwriting.

[toysareforboys]

I guess now I'll have to look into what can be done to fight the ticket.

Fight it like your life and license depend on it! Even if it was a ticket for 3km/h over, FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT! You DO NOT want this conviction on your record, trust me.

Wait till the very last day you can and plead not guilty, request a trial date, check the box for the officer to be present, and that you'll be contesting his evidence, and check the box that you have a lawyer.

Hang out in the legal forum for a while and get the hang of how to prepare a defense. Better yet, hang out at the courthouse for a day and learn how to NOT form a defense.

Good luck.

-Jamie M.

[sunnyCBR]

Fight it like your life and license depend on it! Even if it was a ticket for 3km/h over, FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT! You DO NOT want this conviction on your record, trust me.

Wait till the very last day you can and plead not guilty, request a trial date, check the box for the officer to be present, and that you'll be contesting his evidence, and check the box that you have a lawyer.

Hang out in the legal forum for a while and get the hang of how to prepare a defense. Better yet, hang out at the courthouse for a day and learn how to NOT form a defense.

Good luck.

-Jamie M.

Thanks Jamie! I've been on ticketcombat.com as well reading up on stuff, already saved me from thinking about bad tactics. Got to take the ticket in this week and make my plea. Probably will spend more time in the other section of the forum as well, there are some very helpful people in here!

[daisoman]

Sunnycbr are you fighting it your self or are you getting professional help? My question is why not just get a reputable paralegal or lawyer.

[sunnyCBR]

Sunnycbr are you fighting it your self or are you getting professional help? My question is why not just get a reputable paralegal or lawyer.

To be honest with you, I haven't looked heavily into getting representation. Was thinking of fighting it myself. Bad idea?

[sunnyCBR]

Sunnycbr are you fighting it your self or are you getting professional help? My question is why not just get a reputable paralegal or lawyer.

Also, do I have to identify this when I submit my plea on the ticket (so within the 15 days of getting it)? Or can this decision be made after the fact?

[toysareforboys]

Also, do I have to identify this when I submit my plea on the ticket (so within the 15 days of getting it)? Or can this decision be made after the fact?

They don't care if you have representation or not. When filling out your plea paper:

1. I wish the officer to be present at my trial.
2. I wish to dispute the officers evidence at my trial.
3. I have legal representation for my trial.
4. I forgot what the fourth thing is, lol.

If you were planning on just paying off the ticket anyways because it's your first offense, then there is really no need for you to get professional representation. Do it yourself to the best of your ability and if you lose you're not any worse off than if you had just paid it in the first place. Make sense?

-Jamie M.