Speeding 31 mph or more over the limit in California triggers a misdemeanor citation, 2 points on your license, and a rate increase that averages 30-50% for three years.
What happens to your insurance the day you're cited for 31+ over
Your insurance company does not know about the ticket immediately, but you have created two simultaneous records: a traffic violation that will appear on your DMV driving abstract at conviction, and a misdemeanor criminal citation that appears in court records the day it is filed. Most carriers do not pull abstracts between renewal cycles, so the rate increase typically waits until your next renewal—usually 6 to 12 months out. Some carriers run mid-term checks after a policyholder is involved in an accident or files a claim, and the misdemeanor filing may surface during that review.
California assigns 2 points for speeding violations exceeding 100 mph or 31+ over the posted limit, the same point value assigned to reckless driving and hit-and-run. Those 2 points remain on your DMV record for 7 years from the violation date. The conviction itself stays visible on your driving abstract for 10 years, though most carriers only apply surcharges for the first 3 to 5 years.
The misdemeanor designation matters because it gives underwriters discretion to treat the violation as more severe than a standard speeding ticket. Preferred carriers—State Farm, Allstate, GEICO's standard tier—commonly non-renew drivers with a single 2-point violation if it is classified as reckless or excessive speed. Standard and non-standard carriers will still write the policy, but the rate difference between a preferred carrier and a non-standard carrier for a driver with 2 points typically ranges from 40% to 90% higher premiums.
The court process and how conviction outcome affects your record
California requires a court appearance for all misdemeanor traffic citations. You cannot pay the fine online and close the case. If you fail to appear, the court issues a failure-to-appear notice and the DMV suspends your license under California Vehicle Code 40509. That suspension adds a separate insurance consequence: most carriers treat a suspended license as grounds for immediate cancellation, and reinstatement after cancellation requires filing an SR-22 certificate for 3 years.
You have three realistic paths at arraignment: plead guilty and accept the 2-point conviction, request traffic school if the court offers eligibility, or contest the charge and go to trial. California courts do not offer traffic school for violations exceeding 100 mph, but some courts grant traffic school eligibility for speeds between 31 and 99 over if the driver has no prior violations in the last 18 months and the citation did not involve injury or commercial vehicle operation. Completing traffic school prevents the point from appearing on your public driving record, which means your insurance company will not see the violation during routine underwriting checks. The conviction still appears on your court record and your confidential DMV record, but carriers do not have access to the confidential record.
If you are convicted and the court does not offer traffic school, the 2 points post to your public abstract within 30 to 60 days. Your insurer will see them at your next renewal. If you reduce the charge through negotiation—common outcomes include reducing excessive speed to unsafe speed under VC 22350, which carries 1 point instead of 2—your rate increase will be lower but still present. A 1-point violation typically triggers a 15-25% increase; a 2-point violation typically triggers 30-50%.
How long the rate increase lasts and what controls the surcharge period
California carriers apply surcharges based on their filed rating plans, which the Department of Insurance reviews but does not standardize. Most major carriers surcharge a 2-point speeding violation for 3 years from the conviction date. Some carriers extend surcharges to 5 years for violations classified as major, which includes excessive speeding. The surcharge does not disappear when the points fall off your DMV record—it disappears when the carrier's internal surcharge clock expires, and that clock is set by the conviction date, not the violation date or the date the points post.
Your rate does not drop all at once when the surcharge period ends. It drops at your next renewal after the period expires. If your conviction date was March 15, 2024, and your carrier applies a 3-year surcharge, the surcharge falls off March 15, 2027—but your rate only adjusts at your next renewal after that date. If your renewal is June 1, 2027, you pay the surcharged rate through May 31, then see the clean rate starting June 1.
Some drivers assume completing traffic school after conviction will remove the surcharge. It does not. Traffic school only prevents the point from posting if completed before conviction as part of a court-approved settlement. Once the conviction is entered and the point is on your abstract, no defensive driving course or point-removal program will erase it from your insurance record. The DMV does not offer point reduction programs for excessive speeding violations.
Which carriers will still write your policy after a 2-point conviction
Preferred carriers commonly decline to renew drivers with 2 points from a single violation if that violation is classified as reckless, excessive speed, or DUI-related. Non-renewal notices typically arrive 30 to 60 days before your renewal date, giving you time to shop. If you receive a non-renewal notice, you are not being canceled mid-term—you simply will not be offered a renewal quote at the end of your current term.
Standard carriers—including Progressive's standard tier, Kemper, Bristol West, and National General—accept drivers with 2 points but apply higher base rates and surcharges. A driver paying $140/month with a preferred carrier before the violation might see quotes between $210 and $280/month with a standard carrier after conviction. Non-standard carriers—including Acceptance, Fiesta, Infinity, and Fred Loya—specialize in high-point drivers and will write policies for drivers with 4 to 6 points, but premiums typically start at $250/month for minimum liability coverage and can exceed $400/month for full coverage.
California does not allow carriers to non-renew based solely on a single violation unless that violation involved a DUI, suspension, or fraudulent claim. However, carriers can non-renew based on underwriting guidelines that treat certain violation types—including excessive speeding—as automatic disqualifiers. If your current carrier non-renews you, start shopping 45 days before your renewal date to avoid a lapse. A lapse adds a separate surcharge on top of the points surcharge, and some carriers will not quote a driver with both a lapse and a 2-point violation on record.
The financial difference between 1-point and 2-point outcomes
Reducing a 2-point excessive speeding citation to a 1-point unsafe speed violation cuts your rate increase roughly in half and preserves access to preferred carriers that automatically decline 2-point violations. A driver with a 1-point conviction typically sees a 15-25% rate increase that lasts 3 years. A driver with a 2-point conviction typically sees a 30-50% increase that lasts 3 to 5 years and often triggers non-renewal from their current carrier.
For a driver paying $1,680/year before the violation, the 3-year cost difference between a 1-point and 2-point outcome is approximately $1,500 to $2,500, not including the cost of switching carriers if non-renewed. That cost difference makes hiring a traffic attorney for the arraignment economically rational in most cases—attorney fees for negotiating a reduction typically range from $500 to $1,200, and the insurance savings over 3 years cover that cost in the first year.
If you are eligible for traffic school, the cost is lower—typically $50 to $75 for the course plus the court's traffic school administrative fee, usually around $60—but the insurance benefit is the same as a full dismissal: zero points on your public record, zero surcharge at renewal. Traffic school eligibility is not guaranteed for excessive speeding violations, but it is worth requesting at arraignment even if the initial citation suggests ineligibility.
What to do between citation and conviction to protect your rate
Do not ignore the citation. Failing to appear triggers a license suspension under VC 40509, and that suspension will cause your carrier to cancel your policy mid-term. Cancellation for suspension requires SR-22 filing for 3 years after reinstatement, adding $200 to $500 in annual filing fees on top of the rate increase from the underlying violation.
Request a court date if one is not already assigned, and appear at arraignment prepared to negotiate. Bring your driving abstract—you can order it from the DMV for $5—and any documentation showing a clean record prior to this citation. If the court offers traffic school, accept it. If the court does not offer traffic school but you qualify under the eligibility rules, ask the judge directly whether they will grant eligibility as part of a plea agreement. Some judges grant traffic school for first-time offenders even when the violation type normally disqualifies them.
If you are convicted and the 2 points post to your record, start shopping for quotes 60 days before your renewal. Do not wait for the non-renewal notice—some carriers will renew you at a surcharged rate, but that rate is often 20-40% higher than the best available quote from a standard carrier. Use the renewal notice as a baseline, not a final option. Drivers with 2 points who shop around save an average of $600 to $1,200 per year compared to drivers who accept their renewal quote without comparison.
