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Want to buy new car insurance, but have a previous accident on my driving record

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prosoptomist

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 18, 2011
5
0
Hey guys,

I got in a car accident nearly 4 years ago (Sept 2008), and it was very minor, but the law put me at fault since I was the last person in the collision. Long story, but I'd like to go straight to a question I have now...

I'm a 21 yr old (going on 22 in November) college student and will be graduating next year. Haven't driven a car since then, and in my state, collisions come off a driving record 5 yrs after the date of the accident. I do miss driving a lot, and will be driving in a completely different environment to where I was driving 4 yrs ago. Might be needing it to commute to places where buses are far too inconvenient (lots of long distance walking).

I was wondering if getting a brand new auto insurance carrier will cost more just because of my accident a few years ago. I'd wait until sept 2013 to get car insurance but I might need to drive earlier than that. I know that rates will naturally be higher since I'd be a 22 yr old male, but I'm wondering about the accident-side of things.

Thanks for the help, I hope to get some freedom back soon! Busing everywhere and asking for rides to move furniture in between apartments is a real pain... :eek:
 
It'll cost you more. You're 21 (16-25 being the worst bracket to be in), with an accident on your record. Yeah, it'll cost more.
 
GoreVidal said:
It'll cost you more. You're 21 (16-25 being the worst bracket to be in), with an accident on your record. Yeah, it'll cost more.
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Sometimes people just have the worst luck.

Well I knew that the age bracket was a big deal. However, I read around that some insurance companies might lower rates back to normal 3 yrs after an accident. Is this true? What if I am buying a new individual car insurance, completely separate from the one I had on my family one?
 
Last edited:
prosoptomist said:
Awesome that would be superb. I'll do my research!
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Research thoroughly, because if you answer incorrectly, they'll likely raise your rates for being untruthful. Whatever the question is, just answer honestly. If it asks if you had an accident in the last 3 years, you're fine, if it's 4+ then well...ya know
 
senseless said:
I think the accident lookback is 3 years, so you should be able to answer NO for this question. Same for tickets.
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It depends on the insurance carrier. When you do a quote online, they'll ask you for details about accidents in the past X years. When I was no longer eligible to be on my parents' policy and had to get my own, I got a quote from Progressive, they asked about the last 3 years, so I was able to answer no accidents. A couple other insurance companies (forget which ones) were asking about past 5 years, so I had to tell them about one that happened 4 years prior. Needless to say, Progressive had the lowest quote and is who I ended up going with, and I've been pretty happy with them so far, but I've been accident free and haven't had to file a claim.

Just read carefully when getting a quote and filling out the information, the last thing you do is want to leave the accident off then they're asking about the last 5 years.

And just out of curiosity, even though you haven't been driving the past 4 years, have you at least had insurance (like on a parent's policy so you could borrow and drive their cars?) Not having insurance for the past 4 years might hurt you more in terms of cost than the accident. Insurance companies like long, accident free driving histories. Sounds like you have a very short (1-2 years I'm guessing?) driving history with an accident.
 
yg17 said:
It depends on the insurance carrier. When you do a quote online, they'll ask you for details about accidents in the past X years. When I was no longer eligible to be on my parents' policy and had to get my own, I got a quote from Progressive, they asked about the last 3 years, so I was able to answer no accidents. A couple other insurance companies (forget which ones) were asking about past 5 years, so I had to tell them about one that happened 4 years prior. Needless to say, Progressive had the lowest quote and is who I ended up going with, and I've been pretty happy with them so far, but I've been accident free and haven't had to file a claim.

Just read carefully when getting a quote and filling out the information, the last thing you do is want to leave the accident off then they're asking about the last 5 years.

And just out of curiosity, even though you haven't been driving the past 4 years, have you at least had insurance (like on a parent's policy so you could borrow and drive their cars?) Not having insurance for the past 4 years might hurt you more in terms of cost than the accident. Insurance companies like long, accident free driving histories. Sounds like you have a very short (1-2 years I'm guessing?) driving history with an accident.
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That's right. I had gotten off family insurance the following summer after. So I had a little over a year's worth of a driving record.

Suppose I go with an insurance that asks for the last 3 years. How would costs for my insurance be higher if I had no car insurance during my four years in college?
 
prosoptomist said:
Suppose I go with an insurance that asks for the last 3 years. How would costs for my insurance be higher if I had no car insurance during my four years in college?
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Not having insurance means you haven't driven much, which means inexperience driver to insurance companies. Just call various insurance companies and ask for a quote. Just tell them enough information when asked and not more, but do not lie. No harm in calling for a quote but make sure you call multiple companies.
 
Speaking on Progressive I know they generally go back 3 years.

In addition to your young age one important thing is the type of car you'll be driving.

If it's a sports car that'll boost your rates up. If it's a newer car, that'll cost more as well.

When I first put insurance in my name I went with esurance. A year later and going forward progressive has best rates.

Online quotes are great, just make sure you go far enough in the process. They give the initial quote which may seem great. They don't always pull your record at that point though which could change rate.
 
Being a college graduate will help - if you got good grades that may also help.

Be *very* careful about saying 'no' to accidents. Here's why: if you (unwittingly or otherwise) lie on your application, you don't actually have insurance.

Oh, you'll *think* you have insurance because you're paying a premium. But as soon as you get to a claim, they'll scrutinize everything about you, including what you put down on your app.

If they find a lie on the app, what they'll do is refund your premiums and tell you to have a nice day. You will have just given them an opportunity - which they will most certainly take - to not pay any claim whatsoever. Your "lie" on the app will constitute material breach of contract.
 
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