Reader’s Question:

I’m in Washington state and had a car accident 10 days ago. How long with that impact my premium rate?

Allan

Seattle WA

According to the Insurance Commissioner of Washington state of Washington state, your auto insurance rate starts with a dollar amount base rate and is affected by several factors as age, sex, marital status, driving and claims history, location of residency, and the type of vehicle being used. An increase in your insurance rate due to a violation is charged in addition as surcharge.

The convictions and court finding for a specific violation according to WA Department of licensing is noted on your driving record for 5 years starting from the date of vindication or adjudication. Any notation of these records are filed on the driver’s MVR with information on the accident that shows involvement whether the driver is at or not at fault, the number of vehicles involved, important specifics on the incident, the number of people occupying the car at the time of the collision, and the resulting damage and injury. If the vehicle used by the driver is non-commercial, then it stays in your driving record for 5 years, a and corresponding 10 years for commercial cars from collision date.

Usually, most insurers rate your premiums with infractions on violation or accidents, affecting it for 3-7 years. Washington doesn’t hold any specific regulations on how long should it impact your premium rate and thus such depends on the company you are dealing with.

It is best then to contact your insurance agent to determine specific policies on infractions affecting your premium rate.