When you’re involved in an accident, you might be wondering how it affects your record.
First, in most places, car accidents aren’t public records. Accident reports are often available for confidential use by state Departments of Motor Vehicles or Highway Patrol. Some interested parties may also be able to request a copy of an accident report. An interested party can include a driver involved in an accident or the guardian or parent of the driver if they’re a minor.
The authorized representative of the driver, people injured because of the accident, and the owner of vehicles involved in an accident may also be able to get access to an accident report.
Public record is different from your driving record, however.
Overall, a car accident is always going to go on your driving record, even if you’re in a no-fault state. An accident can linger on your driving record for up to 13 years, depending on factors like how severe it was and where you live.
A poor driving record is very often going to mean high insurance rates.
The following are other things to know about the impact of an accident on your driving record.
No-Fault Accidents
Based on insurance laws, there are two kinds of accidents, which are no-fault and at-fault. The at-fault driver is the person who caused the accident, and the no-fault driver is the accident victim.
There are fault determination rules that an insurance company will use to determine the at-fault driver when an accident occurs.
States are either fault or no fault. In no-fault states, a driver’s insurance company will cover their personal injury and their property damage bills no matter who causes the accident. In a fault state, the at-fault driver’s insurance company covers medical expenses and damages of the accident.
If you’re in a no-fault state, you have to buy Personal Injury Protection or PIP, which pays for your losses if you’re in an accident.
If you’re the victim of the accident, the crash could still appear on your record. You can try to prevent it from showing up on your record by getting a copy of the police report if it says the at-fault driver is.
Even when you are the victim of an accident, some car insurance providers will increase your rates. Insurers have the right to raise rates however they want.
Your State Determines How Long an Accident Stays On Your Record
Every state has its own rules about how long accidents can stay on your driving record. For example, in California, it’s three years from the accident date. In New York, it’s three years from the end of the year when the accident happened. In Oregon, it’s at least five years, and in New Hampshire, it’s five years starting at the date of the accident.
The average length of time an accident can stay on your record across the country is three to five years, but your state could be different.
In a lot of states, a DMV report is needed after any accident you’re part of, no matter who’s at fault. The requirement may be subject to a threshold for property damage, and this is what determines collisions that require reporting and those that are categorized as fender benders.
If someone is hurt or killed in an accident, it has to be reported to the DMV.
If there’s no police report and the accident wasn’t serious enough to need emergency personnel response, the DMV usually doesn’t know about the accident, even if you make an insurance claim. With that being said, there are benefits to having a police report because there’s detailed information about your accident that may be helpful when you make a claim.
How Does An Accident Affect Your Insurance?
An accident can affect your insurance rates, whether you’re at fault or not. Whether or not being in an accident will affect your rates depends on how serious the accident is, who was at fault, and the type of violation you were charged with, if any. Your age, previous driving record, and where you live are also pertinent.
It’s not possible to predict the exact increase that you’ll be subject to, but if you’re in an accident, you’re probably going to pay more for your insurance going forward.
As a final note, some insurers will forgive the accident if it’s your first one, so it might not affect your car insurance rate if you’re typically a safe driver.
