After Texas car accidents, many victims must deal with recovering from severe injuries and the costs associated with their medical expenses, vehicle repair bills, and lost wages. However, something car accident victims often initially overlook is how long the crash that injured them will stay on their driving record and what effect that can have on other aspects of their life, including their insurance rates.
In most cases, a car accident stays on your record for three years. However, various factors can extend or shorten this period. It’s best to consult an experienced car accident lawyer to learn more about the lasting impact of your particular case.
What Counts as an Accident on Your Texas Driving Record?
Any motor vehicle accident that is reported to the police will show up on your driving record in Texas. If the police arrive at the scene and file an official report, it will show up when someone searches for your driving record with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
Police are required to file these reports anytime they respond to a collision resulting in injury, death, or property damage exceeding $1,000 in value. However, police often file reports even for more minor accidents, particularly if someone involved requests it.
If you were in a minor fender-bender with another driver, they may request that the police file a report so they can get a copy of it for a resulting insurance claim. This report can stay on your DMV record for several years. However, it may remain on your record with insurance companies for even longer.
What About Not-At-Fault Accidents?
Even if you are not at fault for an accident, it will still end up on your driving record if a law enforcement officer reports it to the DMV. This can feel unfair when you haven’t done anything wrong. However, the good news is that collisions that weren’t your fault generally have less of an impact, if any, on other parts of your life.
This is also why it’s important not to be listed as the at-fault party in the responding officer’s accident report. If you are found to be at fault, it could have a significant impact on your insurance rate and job prospects. But if you are found not to be at fault, it may have no impact on your life at all.
However, if you are involved in several collisions in a short time span, even if you are found not to be at fault for them, your insurer may view you as a high-risk driver and increase your premiums. Ultimately, this means it is best not to have accidents on your record, even if you were not to blame for them.
Can You Get an Accident Removed from Your Record?
Typically, you cannot get a car wreck removed from your record once it has been added. However, accident reports automatically fall off your records after three years (3) in Texas. But what does this mean for you and your insurance rates?
After three years, the collision will not appear on most searches for your driving record, including searches performed by insurance companies. If an insurance company or employer files for a copy of your driving record more than three years after an accident, it will likely not be included in the report.
Exceptions to this three-year limit include if you request a copy of your own driving record with all crashes included or if the police request a copy of your driving record.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that insurance companies may keep records of collisions you were involved in for longer than the DMV makes them available. If an insurer sees an accident on your official record, it may keep it in its own records for up to five years – or even seven years in cases of severe crashes.
Factors That Can Extend or Shorten the Time an Accident Remains on Your Record
Several factors can extend or shorten the time a car accident stays on your record. Specifically, this applies to your insurance record.
Your insurance record differs from your driving record in that it’s kept by your insurance provider rather than the state. Insurance providers are not required to automatically remove crashes from your record after three years or to keep accidents on your record for three years.
The most common factors contributing to when collisions are removed from this record are:
- Fault for the accident – Typically, if you are at fault for a car crash, insurance companies will keep that accident on your record for longer than those you are not at fault for.
- Severity of the crash – When accidents are more severe, such as if they result in significant injury or death, your insurer may keep them on your record for longer than minor ones because they tend to cost your insurer more money.
- Other circumstances – If there were additional circumstances that contributed to the wreck, such as speeding, your insurance company may keep it on your record longer because such behaviors are considered high risk.
How an Accident on Your Record Affects Your Insurance Rates and Premiums in Texas
An accident on your record may increase your insurance rates and premiums in Texas. However, not every crash will increase your insurance premiums. For example, if you are in a minor collision that isn’t your fault, your insurance rates are unlikely to change, even if it gets reported and put on your driving record.
Typically, the accidents that will affect your rates are those that you are at fault for because they are the ones that your insurer has to pay out compensation for more often. Additionally, if you are frequently involved in car wrecks, your insurer may raise your rates due to you being a high-risk driver. Insurers increase rates in these circumstances to recoup the money they pay out.
Once an accident leaves your record, your insurance rates will usually decrease back to their original amount. However, this could be up to several years after it is removed from your record with the state if your insurer keeps a record of its own and chooses to leave the crash on it for longer.
How an Accident on Your Record Can Impact Employment, Commercial Driving, and Background Checks
If you have an accident on your driving record, it could impact your employment, particularly if your job requires a commercial driver’s license (CDL).
Collisions on your record may result in your CDL being temporarily or permanently suspended, depending on the circumstances. For example, if you were speeding excessively leading up to an accident, you may lose your CDL for 60 days.
Many employers that require drivers to have a CDL do not want drivers who have accidents on their record. They may find that it is not worth the risk to employ someone without a clean driving record. This is not only because they lose money while you are unable to legally operate with a suspended license, but also because they do not want the bad publicity of having one of their vehicles get in an accident.
It’s also worth noting that collisions affecting your CDL eligibility can occur in any vehicle. You don’t have to get into a crash in a commercial vehicle for your CDL to be suspended. Any accident can have a significant impact on a commercial driver’s livelihood.
How a Dallas Car Accident Attorney Can Help You After a Collision
Working with an experienced Dallas car accident attorney is the best way to protect your rights and maximize your compensation following a collision. Some of the key ways a lawyer can help you include:
- Investigating the accident to identify the at-fault party
- Gathering evidence to support your personal injury claim
- Filing to amend mistakes in the DMV’s records of the crash
- Calculating the value of your claim
- Appealing insurance claim denials
- Negotiating with the insurer for a fair settlement covering your losses
- Taking the insurance provider to court if they refuse to offer a fair settlement
Talk to Our Dallas Car Accident Lawyers Today
If you were involved in a Dallas car accident someone else caused, the compassionate and caring Texas injury lawyers of Kraft & Associates, Attorneys at Law, P.C. can help you seek the compensation you need. Our law firm has over 50 years of experience handling car accident cases and has received many positive reviews from clients satisfied with their representation, such as this one:
“It was nice to get feedback whenever I needed. The attorneys were accessible whenever I wanted to talk and the office took the time to hire extra firepower when the other party’s adjuster tried to lowball me. The time the attorneys took to handle my case was appreciated.” – Christopher G.
Contact our firm today at (214) 999-9999 or contact us online for a free consultation about your case with a qualified car accident attorney. We’ll walk you through the car accident claims process and answer any questions you have about the impact the crash could have on various aspects of your life.
