The 11 Primary High-Risk Factors
Insurance companies evaluate dozens of data points, but these 11 factors most commonly trigger high-risk classification:
How Insurers Determine Your Risk Level
Insurance companies use sophisticated algorithms combining dozens of factors:
Primary data sources:
- Motor Vehicle Report (MVR): Your official driving history from the DMV
- CLUE report: Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange—tracks your insurance claims history
- Credit report: Your credit-based insurance score
- Underwriting questions: Annual mileage, vehicle use, household members, etc.
Risk scoring models: Each insurer has proprietary models that weight factors differently. What makes you "high-risk" at one company might not at another—this is why shopping around matters so much.
Tiers and classifications:
- Preferred/Standard: Clean record, good credit, no violations
- Standard Plus: One minor violation or accident
- Non-standard/High-risk: Multiple violations, DUI, poor credit, coverage lapses
- Assigned risk: Can't get coverage in voluntary market; state assigns you to insurer
You can check your own MVR and CLUE report to see what insurers see.
How Long Does High-Risk Status Last?
High-risk classification is temporary for most drivers:
Typical durations:
- Speeding tickets: 3 years
- At-fault accidents: 3-5 years
- DUI/DWI: 5-10 years (severe impact 3-5 years, diminishing after)
- License suspension: 3-5 years after reinstatement
- Credit improvement: 6-12 months of responsible behavior can help
- Age: Young drivers improve naturally 16-25; senior increases are permanent
Improvement timeline:
Most high-risk factors diminish gradually. After each clean year, your risk score improves. At key milestones (3 years, 5 years, 7 years), expect noticeable rate drops.
Strategy: Shop around annually, especially after violations age past 3 and 5-year marks. Different insurers have different "look-back" periods.
Frequently Asked Questions
High-risk drivers have DUI/DWI convictions, multiple at-fault accidents, several traffic violations, poor credit scores, license suspensions, coverage lapses, very young (16-25) or senior (70+) age, or drive high-risk vehicles. These factors statistically predict higher claim rates.
High-risk drivers pay 50-300% more than average. A DUI can increase rates 80-150%, multiple accidents add 20-50% each, and poor credit adds 40-100%. Rates vary dramatically between insurers.
Yes. High-risk drivers have options including standard insurers with high-risk programs (GEICO, Progressive), non-standard specialists (The General, Dairyland), or state-assigned risk pools as last resort.
DUIs affect your insurance rates for 5-10 years, with the most severe impact in the first 3-5 years. SR-22 requirements typically last 3 years, but the violation itself takes longer to fully age off.
Yes, in 46 states (excluding CA, HI, MA, MI). Poor credit can increase rates 40-100% because insurers' data shows correlation between low credit scores and higher claim frequency.
Maintain a clean driving record for 3-5 years, improve your credit score, maintain continuous coverage, take defensive driving courses, and shop multiple insurers—different companies classify risk differently.