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Coverage.com, LLC is a licensed insurance producer (NPN: 19966249). Coverage.com services are only available in states where it is licensed. Coverage.com may not offer insurance coverage in all states or scenarios. All insurance products are governed by the terms in the applicable insurance policy, and all related decisions (such as approval for coverage, premiums, commissions and fees) and policy obligations are the sole responsibility of the underwriting insurer. The information on this site does not modify any insurance policy terms in any way.
Mary Van Keuren has written for insurance domains such as Bankrate, Coverage.com, and The Simple Dollar for the past five years, specializing in home and auto insurance. She has also written extensively for consumer websites including Reviews.com and Slumber Yard. Prior to that, she worked as a writer in academia for several decades.
Amelia Buckley is an insurance editor, covering auto, home and life insurance. She emphasizes creating informative, engaging and nuanced content to support readers in making personalized insurance decisions.
Mark Friedlander is director of corporate communications at III, a nonprofit organization focused on providing consumers with a better understanding of insurance.
At Bankrate, we strive to help you make smarter financial decisions. To help readers understand how insurance affects their finances, we have licensed insurance professionals on staff who have spent a combined 47 years in the auto, home and life insurance industries. While we adhere to strict , this post may contain references to products from our partners. Here’s an explanation of . Our content is backed by Coverage.com, LLC, a licensed entity (NPN: 19966249). For more information, please see our .
Founded in 1976, Bankrate has a long track record of helping people make smart financial choices. We’ve maintained this reputation for over four decades by demystifying the financial decision-making process and giving people confidence in which actions to take next.
Bankrate follows a strict editorial policy, so you can trust that we’re putting your interests first. All of our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts, who ensure everything we publish is objective, accurate and trustworthy.
Our insurance team is composed of agents, data analysts, and customers like you. They focus on the points consumers care about most — price, customer service, policy features and savings opportunities — so you can feel confident about which provider is right for you.
All providers discussed on our site are vetted based on the value they provide. And we constantly review our criteria to ensure we’re putting accuracy first.
Bankrate follows a strict editorial policy, so you can trust that we’re putting your interests first. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions.
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Bankrate’s editorial team writes on behalf of YOU – the reader. Our goal is to give you the best advice to help you make smart personal finance decisions. We follow strict guidelines to ensure that our editorial content is not influenced by advertisers. Our editorial team receives no direct compensation from advertisers, and our content is thoroughly fact-checked to ensure accuracy. So, whether you’re reading an article or a review, you can trust that you’re getting credible and dependable information.
You have money questions. Bankrate has answers. Our experts have been helping you master your money for over four decades. We continually strive to provide consumers with the expert advice and tools needed to succeed throughout life’s financial journey.
Bankrate follows a strict editorial policy, so you can trust that our content is honest and accurate. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions. The content created by our editorial staff is objective, factual, and not influenced by our advertisers.
We’re transparent about how we are able to bring quality content, competitive rates, and useful tools to you by explaining how we make money.
Bankrate.com is an independent, advertising-supported publisher and comparison service. We are compensated in exchange for placement of sponsored products and, services, or by you clicking on certain links posted on our site. Therefore, this compensation may impact how, where and in what order products appear within listing categories, except where prohibited by law for our mortgage, home equity and other home lending products. Other factors, such as our own proprietary website rules and whether a product is offered in your area or at your self-selected credit score range can also impact how and where products appear on this site. While we strive to provide a wide range offers, Bankrate does not include information about every financial or credit product or service.
Coverage.com, LLC is a licensed insurance producer (NPN: 19966249). Coverage.com services are only available in states where it is licensed. Coverage.com may not offer insurance coverage in all states or scenarios. All insurance products are governed by the terms in the applicable insurance policy, and all related decisions (such as approval for coverage, premiums, commissions and fees) and policy obligations are the sole responsibility of the underwriting insurer. The information on this site does not modify any insurance policy terms in any way.
Compare rates and save on auto insurance today!
When you purchase a car, the auto insurance quotes you get is based on factors like your age, your car’s make and model and your driving record. But if your driving record changes because you are in an accident, even after you purchase your policy, your rates will likely change as well — and not for the better. An accident that results in an insurance claim will likely cause your rates to increase when your policy renews. However, there may be actions you can take to keep rate increases to a minimum.
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Coverage.com, LLC is a licensed insurance producer (NPN: 19966249). Coverage.com services are only available in states where it is licensed. Coverage.com may not offer insurance coverage in all states or scenarios. All insurance products are governed by the terms in the applicable insurance policy, and all related decisions (such as approval for coverage, premiums, commissions and fees) and policy obligations are the sole responsibility of the underwriting insurer. The information on this site does not modify any insurance policy terms in any way.
Drivers should note that there is a difference between how long an accident stays on your driving record and how long an accident affects your car insurance. The Department of Motor Vehicles within each state processes and maintains driving records for all registered drivers within the United States. Insurance companies have only limited access to this data. Typically, insurers only have access to the previous seven years of these driving records. Companies use this information to help inform rates and usually increase rates for three to five years following an accident. So although accidents will technically always be on your record, they will likely only affect the cost of your insurance for a few years.
The amount of time an accident affects your car insurance is determined by your insurer and sometimes your state. Your insurer has access to a CLUE (Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange) report, and when an accident happens, that incident is added to your report. The CLUE report includes a detailed view of your claims history, including if you were deemed at-fault in the incident, any payout amount, if the claim is currently open or closed and more. After reviewing the CLUE report, your insurer will determine your post-accident rate which will likely take effect upon your next policy renewal.
The more accidents and traffic tickets attributed to you, the higher your insurance rates are likely to go. In short, this is because insurance companies may see high-risk drivers as more likely to file claims for accidents and other driving incidents. The average full coverage premium increase following an at-fault accident is 42 percent. Drivers who cause accidents where others are seriously injured, extensive property damage is caused or when the driver is intoxicated may see some of the most extreme rate increases. In some cases, your insurer may deny your policy renewal.
The table below indicates how much more drivers with an at-fault accident on their record pay for car insurance than drivers with clean driving records.
Some auto insurance companies offer accident forgiveness programs. Accident forgiveness is a coverage option that means your first at-fault accident will not cause your rate to increase. You may be eligible for this coverage if you have no tickets or at-fault accidents on your driving record for the past three to five years. Generally, you will pay an additional premium for enrolling in an accident forgiveness program.
Every insurer may have different availability and eligibility requirements for accident forgiveness, but it could be worth considering adding this optional coverage to your policy if available. Drivers should note that even if their accident is “forgiven” by their current insurer, that accident may affect the quoted premiums they see with other companies if they shop for car insurance elsewhere.
There may be ways to lower your rate to offset your auto insurance premium increase following an accident. Most car insurance companies offer incentives and discounts that may help policyholders save more on car insurance. To lower your rate after a car accident, you might consider taking the following steps:
Drivers considered to be a substantial risk by standard insurers may obtain a non-standard auto insurance policy, as it is for vehicle owners with a poor driving history. Non-standard auto insurance can be purchased from certain insurance companies that offer coverage for high-risk drivers, though it will usually cost more than a normal policy.
Someone who has been involved in a number of car accidents or who has received multiple speeding violations or citations, has bad credit or has been involved in any type of serious offense might be considered a high-risk driver. Insurance companies generally use the high-risk driver classification to reflect an insured that is more likely to file insurance claims than the average driver.
Possibly, depending on your insurer. If you have a clean record in the past and you are not making a claim on your own insurance, many, but not all, insurers won’t raise your rates. You may also be more likely to see an increase after a no-fault accident if you have previously filed an at-fault claim from the same insurer. Another factor is where you live. For example, California prohibits insurers from increasing rates following a not-at-fault accident.
Bankrate utilizes Quadrant Information Services to analyze 2022 rates for all ZIP codes and carriers in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Quoted rates are based on a 40-year-old male and female driver with a clean driving record, good credit and the following full coverage limits:
To determine minimum coverage limits, Bankrate used minimum coverages that meet each state’s requirements. Our base profile drivers own a 2020 Toyota Camry, commute five days a week and drive 12,000 miles annually.
These are sample rates and should only be used for comparative purposes.
Incident
Rates were calculated by evaluating our base profile with the following incidents applied: clean record (base) and an at-fault accident.
Mary Van Keuren has written for insurance domains such as Bankrate, Coverage.com, and The Simple Dollar for the past five years, specializing in home and auto insurance. She has also written extensively for consumer websites including Reviews.com and Slumber Yard. Prior to that, she worked as a writer in academia for several decades.
Amelia Buckley is an insurance editor, covering auto, home and life insurance. She emphasizes creating informative, engaging and nuanced content to support readers in making personalized insurance decisions.
Mark Friedlander is director of corporate communications at III, a nonprofit organization focused on providing consumers with a better understanding of insurance.
Bankrate.com is an independent, advertising-supported publisher and comparison service. We are compensated in exchange for placement of sponsored products and, services, or by you clicking on certain links posted on our site. Therefore, this compensation may impact how, where and in what order products appear within listing categories, except where prohibited by law for our mortgage, home equity and other home lending products. Other factors, such as our own proprietary website rules and whether a product is offered in your area or at your self-selected credit score range can also impact how and where products appear on this site. While we strive to provide a wide range offers, Bankrate does not include information about every financial or credit product or service.
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How Long Does An Accident Stay on Your Record – Bankrate.com
