Who is an At-Risk Driver?
High-risk drivers put more than their safety on the line. They can also face high insurance costs.
Written by Mary Alice Morris
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
If you find yourself classified as an at-risk driver, you will likely see an increase in your
car insurance
costs very soon. And if you’re facing high car insurance prices already and you’re unsure of why, you might have already been designated as an at-risk driver without even knowing it!But you’re not destined to be labeled at-risk your whole life — especially if you take the right steps to improve how insurers assess you. Simple things can help you out of this bind, like maintaining your car insurance coverage, driving safely, avoiding accidents, and following traffic laws.
To find out more about what it means to be an at-risk driver and how to undo the damage, check out this guide from
Jerry
, the trusted insurance shopping super app
. We’ll walk you through how someone becomes labeled an at-risk driver, how it affects them, and how to fix it. What is an at-risk driver?
An at-risk driver, also called a
high-risk driver
, is someone who is found to have a higher chance of being involved in an accident by auto insurance companies. That means that the insurance company sees a higher potential risk that they’ll have to pay out if they insure you, compared to drivers who are not regarded as high-risk. Being labeled an at-risk driver is a real pain, and it can be due to many causes — some of them entirely preventable, and some not. Some of these factors, like getting a
DUI
or owning a sports car, can be avoided altogether. Others, though, like your age or your neighborhood, seem unfair but can, unfortunately, count against you, too.The biggest consideration for insurers when deciding whether or not someone is at-risk is that person’s driving record. But other events which might seem less risky to you can also be big red flags to car insurance companies.
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7 reasons you might be labeled a high-risk driver
There are a number of things that can go wrong on the road, throwing you into the high-risk category and resulting in higher premiums. And there are even a few things that might happen off the road, or that seem completely out of your control, which will cause you to be considered high risk.
Here’s a list of some factors that might lump you into the higher risk category:
- Traffic violations: Driving under the influence or stacking up multiple speeding tickets are considered especially high-risk.
- Car accidents: Even minor car accidents and small insurance claims can affect you, especially when they are at-fault accidents.
- Credit score: Insurance companies keep up-to-date on your credit and might raise your insurance policy price if your credit falls.
- Vehicle type: Driving a sports car might be considered high-risk, for instance.
- Lapse in coverage: If you can’t afford your premiums and drop your auto insurance, you might be on the at-risk driver list.
- Your age and experience: Being a young driver, or just being a new driver, regardless of your age, can be interpreted as a risk.
- Your neighborhood: Some areas see higher insurance costs due to increased incidents of risky driving, crime, or insurance claims.
How being a high-risk driver impacts your car insurance premiums
Insurance providers expect that high-risk and at-risk drivers are more likely to end up filing claims. Because of this, they may charge you a higher premium for high-risk auto insurance. Or, they may deny you coverage altogether.
And there isn’t a fast fix for the problem. Over time, you can improve your rating with insurance providers, but until then, you’ll likely have to pay higher premiums for a lower-quality insurance policy.
How to get out of the high-risk driver category
If you’re currently considered an at-risk driver, now is the time to start digging yourself out of the hole. There are lots of small things you can do today which will bring about car insurance savings in the future. Here are some suggestions:
- Maintain your car insurance coverage and find room for the premiums in your budget. Letting your insurance lapse will only make things worse. Uninsured drivers are considered extremely high risk.
- Improve your driving recordby avoiding reckless driving, moving violations, and infractions. Follow the speed limit and improve your driving behavior.
- Try to achieve a good credit score, or at least an improved one. Bad credit or an absent credit history is perceived as risky by insurance companies.
- Invest in driver training, such as a state-approved defensive driving course.
- Clean up your driving history and commit to being a safe driver. Changing your habits on the road today can improve the car insurance quotes you get tomorrow.
How to find affordable high-risk car insurance
While you work on improving how the car insurance companies see you, you might need to buy high-risk car insurance to maintain coverage. It’s going to be more expensive than what lower-risk drivers pay, but you can still find ways to save with the
Jerry
app.Jerry is fast, easy, and free to use, and it only takes a few minutes to find the best
car insurance quotes
available to you. Just download the app, answer some basic questions about yourself and your car, and let Jerry handle the rest. You’ll get hooked up with a set of car insurance quotes from Jerry’s network of 55+ top-rated providers. Using Jerry is the best way to find affordable car insurance, and you can do it all from the app on your mobile device. No need to make any phone calls, fill out any paperwork, or deal with any car insurance agents. Just download Jerry to start saving today!
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4.7/5 rating on the App Store | Trusted by 5+ million customers and 7 million cars4.7/5 app rating | Trusted by 5M+ driversWho are the most high-risk drivers?
Insurers consider the highest-risk drivers to be teenagers, the uninsured, and people with multiple traffic violations. They especially take DUI and DWI violations as serious indicators of potentially risky driving behavior.
What are the consequences of being a high-risk driver?
Besides seeing a spike in your insurance premiums, there are many potential consequences to being a high-risk driver. Primarily and most importantly is the risk to your health and safety. However, if you’re labeled a high-risk driver due to other causes, like your credit score, age, or neighborhood, you’ll still feel the pinch when it comes to insurance prices. High-risk drivers can pay double the amount of low-risk drivers for car insurance, or sometimes even more than that!
