First off, what makes a high risk driver?
A “high risk driver” is merely a label. You’re considered high risk for any one particular insurance company if you fit an underwriting decline rule. For instance, an insurance company might have an underwriting decline rule which states that they will not insure any driver that has had a car insurance policy cancelled due to non-payment in the last 3 years. In this case, you would be considered a high risk driver to this insurance company.
Generally, most insurance companies will consider you a high risk driver if you fall into one of these categories:
• You have had a major/serious conviction in the last 3 years, like Careless Driving, Driving While Suspended, or Impaired Driving for example.
• You have had 3 or more minor tickets in the last 3 years.
• You have had 2 or more at-fault accidents in the last 6 years. How Long?
How Long?
So how long, then, are you considered a high risk driver when you have scenarios like these on your driving record?
Well, as soon as you no longer fit the decline rule of the particular insurance company, you’re no longer considered a high risk driver.
In the examples above, when your major/serious conviction is over 3 years old you’re no longer high risk, when one of your 3 tickets is over 3 years old you’re no longer high risk, and when one of your 2 at-fault accidents are over 6 years old you’re no longer high risk.
Of course, these three examples are just the most common of the scenarios that place you in the high risk category. For anything specific to you, call me to discuss and I can advise you on how long your particular situation will keep you in the high risk category.
