An at-fault accident generally stays on your record for three to ten years on the state driving file, and up to seven years in the insurance industry’s claims database, though most insurers only look back three to five years when setting your premium. The exact length depends on your state, the severity of the crash, and which record you are asking about. How long an at-fault accident stays on your record is really three separate questions — one for your license, one for your insurance, and one for the points on your driving history — and each clock runs on its own schedule.
How Long It Stays on Your State Driving Record
Your state’s motor vehicle agency keeps an official file on every licensed driver called a Motor Vehicle Record. When you are involved in a reportable crash, either a police report or a mandatory self-reporting form creates an entry in that file. Most states keep at-fault accidents on your driving record for three to ten years. The length within that window depends on how serious the collision was and on your state’s own administrative rules.
Once that window closes, the accident may drop off the version of your record available to employers and background-check companies. Some states keep a separate internal record that law enforcement and courts can access indefinitely, even after the public-facing entry expires. Judges and hearing officers use this longer history to identify repeat offenders during sentencing or license-reinstatement hearings.
You can order a copy of your own driving record through your state’s motor vehicle agency, typically for a small fee in the range of about $7 to $15 depending on whether you order online or in person and whether you ask for a standard or complete history.
How Long It Affects Your Insurance Rates
Insurance companies rely on a shared industry database called the Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange, or CLUE, run by LexisNexis. A CLUE report tracks up to seven years of auto insurance claims, including the date, type of loss, and amount the insurer paid out.1Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. LexisNexis C.L.U.E. and Telematics OnDemand Any insurer you apply with can pull this report when quoting or renewing a policy, so switching carriers will not erase the history.
Even though a CLUE report holds data for seven years, most insurers use a shorter look-back period when calculating your premium, typically three to five years. A minor fender-bender generally affects your rate for about three years. A serious collision involving injuries or large payouts may influence pricing for the full five. After that, the accident stops triggering a surcharge even though it may still appear on the CLUE report or your state driving record.
Some insurers offer accident-forgiveness programs that prevent your first at-fault accident from raising your rate. Eligibility usually requires several consecutive years of claim-free driving with that carrier, with five years a common threshold. Forgiveness keeps the surcharge off your premium, but it does not remove the accident from your CLUE report or your state driving record.
How Long License Points Last
Many states assign demerit points to your license after an at-fault accident, especially when a traffic citation is issued with it. These points expire much faster than the accident notation itself, typically within one to three years depending on the state. The countdown usually starts on either the date of the violation or the date of conviction.
When your point total reaches a state-set threshold, your license may be suspended. Some states set the limit at six points, others at twelve or more, and the suspension length depends on how far over the threshold you go. Once a suspension ends, you generally pay a reinstatement fee, which ranges from about $15 to $175 across different states.
Completing a state-approved defensive driving course can sometimes reduce your point total, though the credit is limited. A typical program removes only a small number of points, often two, and most states cap how often you can take the course for credit. Finishing the course reduces your point balance but does not erase the underlying accident from your driving record.
When an SR-22 May Be Required
After a serious at-fault accident, especially one involving injuries, uninsured driving, or a license suspension, your state may require you to file an SR-22 certificate. An SR-22 is not a type of insurance. It is a form your insurer files with the state to prove you carry at least the minimum required liability coverage. A small number of states use a similar form called an FR-44, which requires higher liability limits.
Most states require you to maintain an SR-22 for three years from the date of filing, though the period can be longer depending on the offense. If your coverage lapses during that time, your insurer notifies the state and your license is typically suspended again. The one-time filing fee charged by the insurer is usually modest, often $15 to $50, but the bigger financial hit comes from the higher premiums insurers charge drivers who need an SR-22, because the filing itself signals high-risk status.
Out-of-State Accidents
An at-fault accident in another state generally ends up on your home-state driving record. The Driver License Compact, an agreement among most states, requires member states to report traffic convictions and license actions involving out-of-state drivers back to the driver’s home state. Your home state then treats the offense as though it happened locally.
The National Driver Register is a separate federal database maintained by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It tracks drivers whose licenses have been revoked, suspended, canceled, or denied, as well as those convicted of serious traffic offenses.2US Department of Transportation. Privacy Impact Assessment National Driver Register The NDR does not store your full driving history. It stores identifying information and points to the state that holds the actual record. When you apply for a license in a new state, that state queries the NDR to check for prior actions against your driving privileges.
Commercial Drivers Follow Different Rules
If you hold a Commercial Driver’s License, the timelines above do not fully apply. Federal regulations administered by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration create multiple layers of recordkeeping, each with its own clock. Motor carriers must keep an accident register documenting every qualifying crash for at least three years.3Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. 4.4.2 Accident Recordkeeping (Accident Register) (390.15) The Pre-Employment Screening Program, which prospective employers use when hiring commercial drivers, displays five years of crash data and three years of roadside inspection history.4Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP) The FMCSA’s Safety Measurement System uses crash data from the most recent 24 months, weighting newer crashes more heavily.5Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Safety Measurement System (SMS) Methodology
All of this data is linked through the Commercial Driver’s License Information System, a nationwide database that keeps each commercial driver on a single license and a single record across all states.6U.S. Department of Transportation. Commercial Driver’s License Information System (CDLIS) – Gateway An accident in one state shows up when an employer or licensing agency in another state runs a check.
CDL holders convicted of any traffic violation other than a parking ticket must notify both their home state licensing agency and their current employer in writing within 30 days, and this applies whether the violation happened in a commercial or personal vehicle.7eCFR. 49 CFR 383.31 – Notification of Convictions for Driver Violations Some offenses trigger mandatory disqualification. Leaving the scene of an accident carries a minimum one-year disqualification for a first violation, and a second major offense results in lifetime disqualification.8eCFR. 49 CFR 383.51 – Disqualification of Drivers
How to Check and Correct Your Records
You have the right to review both your state driving record and your insurance claims history. Correcting errors on either can save you money on premiums and prevent unfair licensing consequences.
Your State Driving Record
Contact your state’s motor vehicle agency to request a copy. Most states let you order online, by mail, or in person. Reviewing the record lets you verify that accident dates, fault designations, and point totals are accurate. If you find an error, your state agency will have a process for filing a correction.
Your CLUE Report
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, LexisNexis must provide you with one free copy of your CLUE report every 12 months on request.1Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. LexisNexis C.L.U.E. and Telematics OnDemand The same law requires nationwide specialty consumer reporting agencies to make free annual disclosures to consumers who ask.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681j – Charges for Certain Disclosures You can request your report by phone at 866-897-8126 or through the LexisNexis consumer portal.
If your CLUE report contains an inaccurate claim, for instance an accident listed as at-fault when the other driver was responsible, you can file a dispute with LexisNexis. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, LexisNexis must investigate the dispute with the reporting insurance company and give you the results within 30 days. If you cannot get an entry removed, you have the right to add a brief written explanation to the report that will appear on future copies.
Commercial Driver Records
CDL holders who believe a crash was incorrectly recorded in the FMCSA’s database can submit a Request for Data Review through the DataQs system. Grounds for a challenge include the crash not meeting the reportable threshold, the record containing incorrect details, or the crash being assigned to the wrong driver. States must accept and review crash-related challenges for up to five years from the date of the crash. Supporting documentation makes a real difference. Challenges filed with documentation resulted in a correction about 72 percent of the time, compared with 53 percent without it.10Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. DataQs Users Guide and Best Practices Manual