Are you a high-risk driver?

Take our quiz to find out!

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Susan Meyer

Senior Editorial Manager

Susan is a licensed insurance agent and has worked as a writer and editor for over 10 years across a number of industries. She has worked at The Zebr…

Credentials
  • Licensed Insurance Agent — Property and Casualty
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Ross Martin

Insurance Writer

Ross joined The Zebra as a writer and researcher in 2019. He specializes in writing insurance content to help shoppers make informed decisions.

Ross h…

Credentials
  • 5+ years in the Insurance Industry

There are a number of factors that go into what you pay for car insurance. Some of them can feel frustratingly out of your control — like where you live or your age. But the biggest thing that will affect how much you pay that you can control is how you drive.

Are you a risk taker? Is your foot made of lead? Do you never miss an exit because you’re not afraid to last-second cut across three lanes of traffic to get there? If so, you’re probably paying more. 

In this article, we’re looking at how much high-risk violations can affect your car insurance, how they cost insurance companies and trends within the industry to be aware of. Stay tuned for a quiz at the end to estimate your risk level.

How being high risk affects you, the driver

First things first, what does it actually mean to be “high-risk”? Unfortunately, that’s not something you can just look up on your permanent record and find out.

It’s something insurance companies decide based on what they know about you and your driving history, and different insurance companies will weigh things differently. Young drivers will automatically be considered higher risk simply because they have less driving experience.

A history of claims or traffic violations will definitely factor in. Here are some examples:

  • A speeding ticket can increase your insurance costs by $431 a year
  • An at-fault car accident increases auto insurance premiums by an average of $845 per year
  • Insurance rates increase an average of $1,428 per year after a reckless driving charge. 
  • A DUI/DWI on your record can increase your rates an average of $1,681 per year

These are just a few examples of how much your insurance premiums can change based on how you drive.

How high-risk drivers affect insurance companies

Now let's look at things from the other perspective. This is pretty obvious, but the reason you have to pay more if you drive badly or get traffic violations is because you are more likely to get in an accident and file a claim. 

This is also why you can get put in this category even if you’re not a bad driver, just based on your claims history. Let’s say you’re an exemplary driver, but your car gets broken into three times and vandalized twice, and you file claims to repair the damages. An insurance company looking at your record, is going to assume you don’t have a safe place to park your car and that there is a high risk that it will be damaged again. 

Paying attention to drivers who are more likely to file claims is particularly important now because insurance companies are facing losses to the tune of billions of dollars[1]. Why is this? There are a few factors playing in:

  • Major weather events like hurricanes and wildfires have led to a high number of claims all at once.
  • Larger economic issues like supply chain lag with auto parts, labor shortages in car repair and general inflation have made cars more expensive to repair and thus claims more expensive to pay out.
  • The severity of claims has increased (40% increase in collision severity since 2019)[2].
  • Car insurance is regulated at the state level to make sure insurance companies offer fair rates, but the process can be slow and doesn’t necessarily keep up with current economic conditions.

Wrapping up

Thanks to a number of factors, insurance rates are high all around, but things are particularly tough if you're classified as a high-risk driver. If this is you, check out our list of best car insurance companies for high-risk drivers for some good options and tips on how to get the best rates. 

Quiz: Are you a high-risk driver?

Try this quiz to see how risky your driving behavior is. Note: this quiz is just for fun. We will not record your information, and this will not affect your insurance rates in any way.