How Long Does an Accident Stay on Your GEICO Insurance
An accident stays on your auto insurance record with GEICO for a total of five years.
Written by Jacqulyn Graber
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
If you get into an at-fault accident, it will remain on your GEICO driving record for a total of five years. During the first three years, it will directly affect your premium. Then, during the final two years, you won’t be able to be considered for GEICO’s good driver discount.
Auto accidents happen to the best of us, and your car insurance company exists to help cover any resulting property damage or bodily injury expenses. But an unfortunate disclaimer? The claims process usually results in increased insurance costs—especially if you have a less-than-perfect driving record.
We’ll go through exactly how a car accident affects your GEICO
car insurance
rates, how long said accident will remain on your record, and whether or not you can benefit from accident forgiveness. Compare quotes from 50+ insurers with Jerry in under 45 seconds?
4.7/5 rating on the App Store | Trusted by 5+ million customers and 7 million cars4.7/5 app rating | Trusted by 5M+ driversHow long does a car accident stay on your insurance with GEICO?
If you get into an at-fault insurance accident and file an insurance claim, it will immediately affect your auto insurance policy. This is simply because accident-prone drivers are deemed to be more high-risk and more expensive to insure.
GEICO keeps car accidents on record for a total of five years. After three years, the accident will no longer affect your auto insurance rates directly—but you won’t be eligible to qualify for GEICO’s accident-free discount until five years have passed.
Can you remove an accident from your driving record?
Those who file GEICO claims won’t be able to remove an accident from their insurance record in an expedited fashion.
However, if you received a violation after being involved in an accident, you may be able to remove an accident—and the associated points—from your state driving record (depending on your individual state’s laws, of course). Keeping points and violations off of your driving record can help you avoid further insurance premium hikes.
In many states, you can pay a fee and enroll in a state-approved defensive driving course to remove points from your license. You may also be able to ask your Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to expunge the charge from your record.
Prior to getting the points, however, you may attempt to contest the ticket by pleading “not guilty” in court. The judge may reduce the charges, or toss the ticket out altogether.
How a car accident impacts your car insurance rates
Following an at-fault collision, you can expect your car insurance rates to increase by about 42%. However, if you’ve caused an accident that results in serious injury or substantial property damage—or if you were driving under the influence—you’ll see even more extreme premium increases. Worst case scenario: your insurance provider will refuse to renew your policy.
Your accident isn’t the only factor that GEICO will take into account when evaluating your insurance rates post-accident. They’ll also consider your driving record, the number of claims you’ve made in the past, the payout amount of your claim(s), and—of course—whether or not you qualify for accident forgiveness (more on that in the next section).
If GEICO determines that your rate does need to be raised, they’ll send you your new policy information and premium amount approximately 30 days before your policy is up for renewal. At this point, you can choose to renew with GEICO, or shop around for car insurance with a different provider.
Does GEICO offer accident forgiveness?
Like many auto insurance companies, GEICO does offer
accident forgiveness
to policyholders, and it can be earned or purchased depending on which state you live in. If you qualify for GEICO accident forgiveness, your insurance coverage rates won’t go up after your first at-fault accident, so long as it was caused by an eligible driver that’s listed on your car insurance policy. In fact, GEICO will even waive the associated surcharge.
In order to qualify, you must either purchase accident forgiveness when building your GEICO policy, or earn it by meeting certain criteria. GEICO awards accident forgiveness to drivers who are loyal to the company and are accident- or violation-free for certain periods of time.
With accident forgiveness, you’ll be able to maintain your low insurance rates and hold onto any safe driver discounts that are applied to your policy.
It’s important to note that accident forgiveness is applied to your whole policy—not to individual drivers. If you have more than one driver insured on your policy, your insurance adjuster will only allow you to cash in on this benefit once.
How to improve your driving record
Regardless of what accidents you may or may not have been involved in in the past, one of the best ways to qualify for cheap car insurance is to
clean up your driving record
.Obviously, the most passive solution is to simply wait it out. Motorists will see minor violations, such as speeding tickets, fall off their records in three to five years. Major violations like DUIs, however, can stay on your record (and affect your car insurance quotes) for as long as a decade.
To expedite the process, make sure that you’re always well aware of your driving record. If you notice any issues on your record (such as an accident you weren’t involved in or a violation that should’ve disappeared already), you can file a discrepancy with the DMV to have the mistake corrected. Just beware that this may take some time to process.
If you’re involved in an accident, think carefully about whether you want to submit a claim through your insurance. For example, if only minor damages occur, it may be best to pay for them out of pocket. This is especially relevant if you have a plan with a higher deductible, which you’ll be responsible for anyway before your provider pays out any benefits.
If you receive a ticket while driving, there are a couple of ways you can keep them from being added to your record in the first place. If it’s a minor “fix-it ticket,” (issued for basic mechanical violations, such as broken tail lights), you can usually have the ticket thrown away so long as you quickly address the related issue.
If you’re issued a ticket for a more serious violation, you can plead “not guilty” and see a district attorney or judge in court. They may be willing to reduce your sentencing to something that doesn’t show up on your record. For example, a speeding ticket may be reduced to two parking tickets. In the best-case scenario, they’ll be willing to dismiss the original ticket altogether.
You may also be able to expunge your record. Rules regarding expunging vary state-to-state, but your local DMV should have information regarding if and how you can pursue this option. If your state does offer it, you may be able to delete certain violations from your driving history. For example, California drivers can expunge infractions after three years of having no other violations and no
DUI
convictions. Finally, if the points are already on your license, you may be able to enroll in a state-approved defensive driving course to remove them. For example, the New York State DMV offers online and in-person courses which, upon completion, will remove up to four points from your license.
“My speeding ticket raised my insurance to $310/month.Jerrygot me full comprehensive coverage on two vehicles for $144/month through Progressive. I definitely recommend giving them a try.” —Brandon D.
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FAQs
Will GEICO raise your insurance premium after a car accident claim?
It depends. With Accident Forgiveness on your GEICO auto insurance policy, your insurance rate won't go up as a result of your first at-fault accident.
However, if you don’t have accident forgiveness, GEICO will most likely raise your rates.
How much do GEICO rates increase after an accident?
The size of your increase will depend on a variety of factors, including your driving record, the number of claims you’ve made in the past, and the payout amount of your GEICO claim.
Contact your insurance provider directly via phone call or the mobile app with questions about your specific rates.
