If you have seen a price increase in the money your insurance costs due to an accident on your state driving record, you may be wondering, "How long does an accident effect car insurance rates?"
The answer to this question will vary by both state and car insurance company. Most states leave an automobile accident on your driving record for at least three years. Some states have laws that allow the accident to remain on the record for a total of five years. Therefore, the short answer is that an auto accident can affect the cost of your insurance for as long as it is on your driving record.
Some companies have an "accident forgiveness" policy that allows you to have one accident without it affecting your insurance rates. If you keep your state driving record free of more incidents for three years, the accident is no longer reported and it has never affected your auto insurance rate.
For other insurance companies, even one accident may affect the rate you pay for auto insurance, but as long as you keep your driving record clean, the accident counts less against you each time the policy is rewritten. Thus you should see a decrease in the price you pay for insurance each time you renew the insurance policy.
Still other insurance companies allow the accident to cause your premiums for your automobile insurance to be more until it drops off of your driving record.
Since there is noting you can do to remove an accident from your driving record once it is there, you need to try to avoid more accidents and moving violations. Adding a second accident or a moving violation to an already existing accident can cost you more on your insurance. The cost can often be a significant amount of money.
Some states allow drivers to take defensive driving to avoid having tickets added to your driving record. If you have an accident on your driving record and get a ticket, it is important that you take the class if possible. This will save you money on the cost of the ticket and may save you more money each month on the price you pay for auto insurance. In some states, persons that have taken the defensive driving course for a ticket actually qualify for a ten percent discount on the cost of their insurance. This can help to offset the additional price you are paying due to an accident on your driving record.
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