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Written by: Shelly Campbell

Category: Agent

Hits: 1388

“I went to court, and the judge threw out my ticket!”

What happens in Oregon when you go to driving court, and the judge ‘throws’ the ticket out? In straightforward terms, the violation will not be removed from your driving record. It will still be there. The judge might lower the fine, but they rarely remove it from your driving record. If you think the ticket should not appear on your DMV report, request a document from the court proving they dismissed the ticket before you leave the courthouse. If the court doesn’t notify the DMV of the dismissal, you must prove it was ‘thrown out’ and request the DMV correct your record.

Oregon auto insurance agents often hear that a ticket was dismissed when asking a potential client about driving records when, in fact, the fine was reduced. Insurance agents cannot dispute a ticket. Most people have perfectly reasonable explanations for why the infraction should not count. We understand your reason or excuse for why you shouldn’t have gotten pulled over in the first place. We’ve heard them all from ‘they got the wrong car’ to ‘I had to go to the bathroom.’

We cannot change the record. If the DMV reports it, only a new DMV report (printed on their letterhead) or a dismissal letter from the court can update a driving record on your policy with most companies. After the company issues the policy, you must send us proof of dismissal of the infraction, which we will forward to the insurance company. Meanwhile, you will continue to pay the extra cost until it has been resolved by the insurer’s underwriting department and credited to your account.

Tell the agent everything that has happened over the last three years. Get the correct quote the first time. If you want to dispute something, you must go through the DMV and court system.

We want to help. Your cooperation will allow us to quote you correctly. Call us at 503-489-3143 for a quote. You can also fill out a quote request on our website.