How Long Does a Car Accident Stay on Your Record?

How long a car accident stays on your record depends on which record you mean. On your state driving record it commonly stays about three to five years, and on your insurance CLUE report the claim is kept up to seven years. Both timelines vary by state and insurer. FindMyReport is an independent guide, not a government website, and this page explains the two records, the timelines, and how to see and correct each one.

How long does a car accident stay on your record?

A car accident sits on two separate records with two different keepers. Your state Department of Motor Vehicles keeps your driving record, which holds an at-fault accident for a period the state sets, commonly about three to five years. LexisNexis keeps your insurance CLUE report, which retains a filed claim up to seven years. The exact period depends on your state and your insurer.

Because two record-keepers are involved, one clock can run out while the other is still ticking. An insurer may stop surcharging you before the claim disappears from your claims history. The rest of this page covers what each record is, how long an accident affects your premium, how fault changes the picture, and how to see and fix both records.

Driving record vs insurance CLUE report: what is the difference?

These are two different records. The state DMV keeps your driving record, also called your motor vehicle record or MVR, which lists accidents, citations, and license points. LexisNexis keeps the CLUE report, short for Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange, a claims-history file insurers buy when they quote you. The keepers and the timelines differ.

The Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange (C.L.U.E.) report is a nationwide claims database run by LexisNexis Risk Solutions. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau states that it "collects and reports up to seven years of auto insurance claims." Your MVR, by contrast, is a state record tied to your driver's license, and each state sets its own retention rule. The table separates the two.

Attribute	State driving record (MVR)	Insurance CLUE report
Who keeps it	Your state Department of Motor Vehicles	LexisNexis Risk Solutions
How long it stays	Varies by state; commonly about three to five years for an at-fault accident	Up to seven years of claims history (CFPB)
What it affects	License points, negligent-operator status, and what insurers see when they rate you	The premium an insurer quotes and whether it accepts you
How to see it	Order your driving record from your state DMV	Request one free CLUE report every 12 months from LexisNexis
How to correct it	Ask your state DMV to fix a factual error	Dispute a wrong entry with LexisNexis under the FCRA

How long does an accident affect your insurance premium?

An accident affects your premium for a limited chargeable period, commonly about three to five years, after which the surcharge usually drops off. The exact length varies by state and insurer. A single not-at-fault claim often affects your rate less than an at-fault one, and some claims do not raise it at all.

The surcharge period and the record are not the same clock. An insurer may stop charging you extra for an accident after a few years, yet the claim can still sit on your CLUE report for up to seven years, where a future insurer can see it when you shop for a new policy. So the answer to how long an accident affects your insurance is really two answers: the chargeable period when you pay a surcharge, and the longer window the claim stays visible in your claims history.

Does an at-fault vs not-at-fault accident affect your record differently?

Fault changes the effect. An at-fault accident can raise your premium and, in some states, add points to your driving record. Many insurers do not surcharge for a clearly not-at-fault accident, though the rule varies by state and insurer. A not-at-fault claim can still appear on your CLUE report.

Here is what fault changes:

• Points: an at-fault collision can add license points in point states. The California DMV, for example, weighs at-fault accidents through its Negligent Operator Treatment System over rolling 12-month, 24-month, and 36-month windows.
• Surcharge: an at-fault accident is more likely to trigger a premium surcharge than a not-at-fault one.
• CLUE entry: any filed claim, at-fault or not, can be recorded on your CLUE report.
• State protection: some states limit or bar a surcharge for an accident you did not cause; confirm your state's rule with its department of insurance.

State insurance regulators coordinate through the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, and each state's department of insurance publishes the rule that applies where you live. This page explains how fault affects the record. It is general information, not legal advice, and it never assigns fault in any specific crash.

Does a minor accident with no police report go on your record?

It can. If you file an insurance claim, the accident is recorded on your CLUE report even when no police report exists. Your driving-record entry usually depends on a police report or a citation. A minor accident you never report and never claim may appear on neither record.

Whether an accident goes on your driving record often turns on whether an officer filed a report or issued a citation. A claim, by contrast, reaches your CLUE report through your insurer, not through the police, so the two records can disagree. For the reporting rules and how to file a report after the fact, read what to do after a minor crash with no police report.

How do you see what is on your driving record and CLUE report?

You can request both records yourself. Order your driving record (MVR) from your state DMV. Order your CLUE report free once every 12 months from LexisNexis, because it is a consumer report under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. FindMyReport is not a consumer reporting agency and does not hold, sell, or access these records.

To see your two records:

1. Driving record (MVR): request it from your state Department of Motor Vehicles. Most states charge a small fee and deliver it online or by mail.
2. CLUE report: request one free copy every 12 months from LexisNexis. Under 15 U.S.C. 1681j, a consumer is entitled to one free disclosure every 12 months, delivered within 15 days of the request.

Access to the personal data inside a driving record is limited by federal law. The Driver's Privacy Protection Act, 18 U.S.C. 2721, lets you, your insurer (for claims, rating, and underwriting), and an employer with your consent obtain that data, while protecting those details from the general public. That federal limit is also why who can access a crash report varies by state; see who can access a crash report. FindMyReport points you to the official record-keepers; it is not one of them.

How do you get an accident removed from your record if it is an error?

Correcting an error is different from erasing an accurate record. You can dispute a wrong entry, but you cannot remove a true one before its retention period ends. An accurate accident clears only with time.

There are three record-keepers, so there are three correction paths:

• CLUE report: dispute a wrong entry with LexisNexis. Under 15 U.S.C. 1681i, the agency must "conduct a reasonable reinvestigation" of the disputed item "before the end of the 30-day period" after it receives your notice, free of charge.
• Driving record: ask your state DMV to fix a factual error, such as a wrong date, a wrong vehicle, or a crash misattributed to you.
• Crash report: contact the investigating agency's records division to amend the underlying report. To reach the right office, find the agency that holds your crash report.

An agency can correct or remove a fact that is genuinely wrong, but no one can promise to erase an accurate record, and this page states no removal deadline as advice. For a dispute about who was at fault, confirm your options with a licensed attorney in your state.

Your next step

A car accident lives on two records with two clocks: about three to five years on your driving record and up to seven years on your CLUE report, both varying by state and insurer. Check both records, dispute any genuine error, and let time clear the rest. To pull the crash report behind an accident on your record, start with our national accident-report directory.