My rate is still high

[Donte]

Hi everyone,

I had a minor accident back in Jan 2020 in Los Angeles, but I was at fault because I hit the car from behind. She came out of nowhere and I couldn't control the vehicle. When this happened, she said sorry for stopping out of nowhere but I have to take a picture of your DL. I was young and inexperienced She sued me after a month and got $2090 from my insurance for a scratch which would be fixed by $200. It still hurt and I was going to get a TESLA model 3 but the insurance is from $350-$550 at least and I can't afford it. Is there any way I can get it removed from my driving record? How long will it be on my driving record? Does driving record expunge services work?

I'm not sure if she claimed injury but nothing happened to her and even she apologized for driving carelessly. I am very NOOB in this situation. Please help.

 

[adjusterjack]

Is there any way I can get it removed from my driving record?

No.

How long will it be on my driving record?

Forever.

However, insurance companies generally pull 3 year or 5 year reports. Many pull 5 year reports but only count traffic infractions for 3 years and DUI/Reckless for 5 years.

Does driving record expunge services work?

No.

The 3 year mark is January 2023, only a few months away. Your next renewal after January should allow you to seek competitive rates.

Meantime, drive your cheap car for a few months and then see what a Tesla will cost you.

 

[Al3x Lee]

She sued me after a month and got $2090 from my insurance for a scratch which would be fixed by $200.

What kind of car was she in? It likely did cost $2,090 to fix, getting things fixed properly is not an inexpensive affair. They aren't just going to throw some touch up paint on and call it a day. Insurance is there to indemnify the claimant in a covered loss, meaning they want the car to look exactly as it did prior to the accident. That means a scratch can require a whole bumper or quarter panel to be sand blasted and repainted and blended and matched with the surrounding area.

Also, she likely didn't sue you, she probably just made a claim against your insurance. If you rear end someone, 9 times out of 10, you'll be found at fault unless you can prove otherwise.

I was going to get a TESLA model 3 but the insurance is from $350-$550 at least and I can't afford it.
I am very NOOB in this situation.

You're young. If $350-$550 a month is going to make or break buying a Tesla for you, don't buy it. I'm not your dad, but no one is going to care if you drive a Tesla vs a 30 year old Toyota. Go listen to some Dave Ramsey

 

[marindependent]

I had a minor accident back in Jan 2020 in Los Angeles, but I was at fault because I hit the car from behind. .... She sued me after a month and got $2090 from my insurance for a scratch which would be fixed by $200.

Sorry this happened to you. Ive never seen a scratch get fixed for $200. Sometimes the damage to modern vehicles is way more than what you can just see. Bumpers get pushed in and you will not notice for a few days. The wheels get out of alignment and you just dont notice until two days later. The same can be said for body aches and pains.

Wait a few months and reshop. You had auto insurance and it all worked out.

 

[fed up]

Unless things have changed drastically in autonomy shops, not many want to take on repairs of Teslas which makes a Tesla very expensive to repair and makes a Tesla very expensive to insure. Not too many years ago no bodyshops would touch them and repairs had to go back to Tesla. Tesla did not use the going rate in my area which was around $28/hour for bodywork and wanted $100/hour. Also with the many added features of a Tesla, no one wanted the liability from working on one.

 

[ehall2]

Most insurance companies only charge a rate up for 3 years, so they don't surcharge you after 3 years but they do. Here's how. Most insurance companies offer a three year incident free discount and a five year incident free discount. Notice it doesn't say an at fault incident but an incident free discount. So you can be involved in an accident that isn't your faulty but your rate may still go up because you can lose the 3 year incident free and 5 year incident free discount. This isn't right but most states have approved insurance companies to do this. If I was an insurance commissioner I would never allow this.

 

[ehall2]

One more thing, if you can't afford the insurance for a Tesla you don't need to buy one.

 

[Allen Trent]

Most insurance companies only charge a rate up for 3 years, so they don't surcharge you after 3 years but they do. Here's how. Most insurance companies offer a three year incident free discount and a five year incident free discount. Notice it doesn't say an at fault incident but an incident free discount. So you can be involved in an accident that isn't your faulty but your rate may still go up because you can lose the 3 year incident free and 5 year incident free discount. This isn't right but most states have approved insurance companies to do this. If I was an insurance commissioner I would never allow this.

So, you wouldn't allow carriers to give everyone a discount because their discount might get smaller if they lose a portion of the discount? Won't that mean those same clients would be paying more in the years they get a discount under your plan?

 

[ehall2]

I would allow companies to give the discount but I wouldn't let companies take that discount away because you had an accident that wasn't your fault. If you were stopped at a traffic light and someone hit you in the rear, do you think it is right for your rate to go up? This is what happens in Georgia. If you had an incident, not an at fault accident you could lose your 3 year and 5 year incident free discount. Other states do this also. I you think this it right you need to go to work for an insurance company.

 

[fed up]

Most insurance companies only charge a rate up for 3 years, so they don't surcharge you after 3 years but they do. Here's how. Most insurance companies offer a three year incident free discount and a five year incident free discount. Notice it doesn't say an at fault incident but an incident free discount. So you can be involved in an accident that isn't your faulty but your rate may still go up because you can lose the 3 year incident free and 5 year incident free discount. This isn't right but most states have approved insurance companies to do this. If I was an insurance commissioner I would never allow this.

OP was at fault by his own admission so he loses any claim free discount in addition to any surcharge in premium for at least 3 years unless he has a "Get Out of Jail" discount but shopping for rates will show the At Fault and he will incur a higher rate from the quoting carrier for the 3 year period. And Teslas are not cheap to insure, period. They go fast and no one wants to fix them.