How Much Does That Traffic Ticket really Cost?

Learning Goals/Objectives:

• Students will understand the total cost (both direct and indirect) of being convicted of a traffic violation.

Overview:

This lesson is from the Ohio Insurance Institute (OII) web page and is reproduced here with the OII’s permission. www.ohioinsurance.org

Many students do not fully understand the total cost of not obeying traffic laws. After going to court for a traffic offense and paying a fine they fully realize the cost of the fine imposed and associated court cost since these are paid directly. However, there may also be other indirect costs associated with being convicted of a traffic violation. The purpose of this lesson is to highlight some of the indirect costs so that students understand the full impact of the offense for which they were charged.

NOTE: Figures supplied are most current available as of April 2004. Figures may vary based on court fees and fines.

Activities:

1. Discuss how and why insurance companies charge higher rates for drivers based on driving records.

2. Provide each student a copy of table 1 “Premium Changes Resulting from Traffic Violations and At-Fault Accidents,” table 2 “Court Imposed Sanctions for Various Traffic Violations,” table 3, “Vehicles Administrative Fees,” and table 4, Mandatory Education Programs.”

3. You may require completion of all the following activities or select those they feel most appropriate.

Activity one

Activity two

Activity three

Materials:

Table 1 – Premium changes resulting from traffic violations and at-fault accidents

Table 2 – Court imposed sanctions for various traffic violations

Table 3 – Vehicle administrative fees

Table 4 – Mandatory education programs

Activity 1 – 16 yr-old Male

Activity 2 – 19 yr-old Male

Activity 3 – 19 yr-old Female

NOTE: All materials can be downloaded from the OII web page. http://www.ohioinsurance.org/teachers/pdfs/Traffic_Ticket_Cost12-2005.pdf

Assessment:

• Assess student understanding by requiring students to provide answers to the activities posed above. Also have them provide a short essay response as to why they feel insurance companies find it necessary to increase rates for traffic offenders.

• Class discussion: All things being equal, why do young males pay higher automobile insurance premiums than females?

Download:

Lesson 22 How Much Does That Traffic Ticket Really Cost.doc