A nationwide auto insurance company has developed a tool to help its customers calculate the true cost of a traffic ticket that may be useful to Bakersfield drivers.

It is a commonly-held belief that traffic tickets make your insurance rates go up, but the precise nature of that increase has always been a bit of a mystery. To eliminate the guesswork, one insurer has compiled a list of common tickets and the resulting rate increase. A few examples include:

Interestingly, a ticket for no insurance triggers an average rate increase of only six percent, which is the lowest increase on the chart. Your actual rate increase may vary from the predicted amount.

When considering the face value of the fine and court costs, in addition to the insurance rate increase, it makes much more sense to retain an attorney to fight your traffic ticket as opposed to fighting it yourself or simply paying the fine. Especially in KernCounty, traffic tickets are too expensive to be taken lightly.

Some drivers may have a legal or factual defense and not even know it. Other drivers may think they have a valid defense, only to discover that the defense is invalid after wasting precious hours preparing for and attending court.

An attorney who regularly practices in Bakersfield can evaluate your case and quickly identify any possible defenses. If there are no defenses, an attorney can negotiate with the prosecutor for a lesser charge or a lesser fine.