How much will my insurance go up after my accident?

Question

I am 16 years old and got my license 3 months ago. I was driving home from work when my car hit a patch of loose gravel and swerved off the road. It flipped into the ditch, but luckily I came out of it with no major injuries.

The officer didn't write me a ticket for wreckless driving and said it wasn't my fault.

My car was totaled and we are now selling it to a salvage company.

If I get a new car, what is a ballpark figure for how much my insurance go up? How long will it stay that high?

Answer 1

It is nearly impossible to answer all of your questions here because there are too many unknowns, but I will do my best to give you a generalized answer.

>>The officer didn't write me a ticket for wreckless driving and said it wasn't my fault.

As far as insurance goes, since it is a one car accident you are always at-fault. (I feel your pain cause something similar happened to me on an ice patch)

>>If I get a new car, what is a ballpark figure for how much my insurance go up?

Since you are a new driver, probably substantially.  Insurance companies use past driving history (accidents/tickets) as an indicator of how likely you are to get in an accident in the future and charge you more for a higher perceived risk.  It is impossible to put a dollar amount on it, but I would expect somewhere around 25-50% more than what you are paying now.

>>How long will it stay that high?

Most insurance companies look at your past 3 years of driving history so expect to be surcharged for this accident until you are 19.

Drive safely.