In California, a standard at-fault accident stays on your driving record for three years from the date of the collision. If the crash involved a DUI or hit-and-run conviction, that jumps to 10 years. A not-at-fault accident may appear on your history, but no point is added against you.
How Long Each Type of Accident Stays
The California DMV keeps collision records for different lengths of time depending on what happened and whether a conviction was attached.
- Standard at-fault collision. A typical at-fault accident involving property damage carries one point on your driving record. That point remains visible for three years (36 months) from the collision date.1California Department of Motor Vehicles. California Driver Handbook – Section 7: Laws and Rules of the Road (Continued)
- DUI-related accident. A conviction for driving under the influence stays on your record for 10 years from the violation date. California also uses a 10-year lookback when sentencing repeat DUI offenses, so a prior conviction inside that window increases penalties for a new offense.
- Hit-and-run. Leaving the scene is a two-point violation, and the conviction stays on your record for 10 years.2California Department of Motor Vehicles. Negligent Operator Treatment System
- Not-at-fault accident. If you were not at fault, the DMV may still record the collision, especially if a police report was filed or the damage exceeded $1,000. No point is added, and it does not count against you.
The clock for a standard collision starts on the date of the accident itself. For conviction-based violations like DUI or hit-and-run, the 10-year clock runs from the violation date, not the crash date if those differ.
What the Point Does While It’s On Your Record
The DMV uses points to gauge driving behavior under its Negligent Operator Treatment System (NOTS). One at-fault accident by itself will not put your license at risk, but it counts toward thresholds that can.
You are presumed a negligent operator once you reach:
- 4 or more points within 12 months
- 6 or more points within 24 months
- 8 or more points within 36 months
The DMV’s response builds in stages. First a warning letter, then a notice of intent to suspend. Cross the threshold and the consequence is a one-year probation that includes a six-month license suspension.3California Department of Motor Vehicles. Negligent Operator Actions
If you receive a suspension order, you can request a NOTS hearing to contest it. You get to testify and present evidence about each incident on your record, and the hearing officer weighs mitigating factors. The driving record alone is not enough to hold you responsible for a collision; the officer needs additional direct evidence, like your testimony or a police report.4California Department of Motor Vehicles. Negligent Operator Treatment System Hearings
How an Accident Affects Your Insurance
Your driving record is the single most important factor in your California auto insurance premium. Under Insurance Code Section 1861.02, insurers must weigh driving safety record more heavily than any other rating factor, followed by annual miles driven and years of driving experience.5California Legislative Information. California Insurance Code INS 1861.02
An at-fault accident means higher premiums. Most insurers apply surcharges for three to five years after the collision, and more serious accidents involving injuries or major property damage tend to stay at the longer end. After three clean years, many drivers see rates return to roughly pre-accident levels.
The Good Driver Discount
California requires insurers to offer a “good driver” discount of at least 20 percent. To qualify, you need at least three years of licensed driving experience, no more than one violation point in the previous three years, and you must not have been principally at fault in an accident that caused death or more than $500 in damage. A single at-fault accident can knock you out of this discount for three years.
The CLUE Report Runs Longer
Even after a collision falls off your DMV record, insurers can still find it. The Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange (CLUE), operated by LexisNexis, collects up to seven years of auto insurance claims history.6Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. LexisNexis C.L.U.E. and Telematics OnDemand When you apply for a new policy or a renewal is processed, the insurer pulls CLUE alongside your DMV record. A clean DMV record with a recent claim on CLUE can still affect the rate you are quoted.
SR-22 After Serious Violations
If your accident involved a DUI, hit-and-run, or driving without insurance, the DMV will likely require an SR-22 certificate. Your insurer files it directly with the DMV to prove you carry at least the state’s minimum liability coverage. You typically need to keep the SR-22 in place for three years after your license is reinstated. Any lapse in coverage during that period gets reported to the DMV immediately and can trigger another suspension. Drivers with an SR-22 requirement generally pay significantly higher premiums because they are placed in high-risk insurance pools.
If You Think the Fault Finding Is Wrong
The police report from the scene carries weight, but it is not the final word. Insurance companies and the DMV conduct their own investigations and sometimes reach different conclusions than the responding officer.
Evidence that helps you challenge a fault finding includes photographs of the damage and road conditions, dashcam footage, statements from independent witnesses, and documentation showing the other driver violated a traffic law. Complex cases sometimes call for an accident reconstruction expert who can analyze physical evidence to determine speeds and impact angles.
For DMV purposes, you can present that evidence at a NOTS hearing if the at-fault point is pushing you toward negligent operator status. The officer must consider your testimony and any evidence you bring.4California Department of Motor Vehicles. Negligent Operator Treatment System Hearings
Traffic School Won’t Remove an Accident Point
This is a common misconception worth flagging. Traffic school masks points from qualifying traffic tickets, not from at-fault accident determinations. If the DMV assigned you a point because you were found responsible for a collision, traffic school will not remove or hide that point.7California Courts. Traffic School
Where traffic school can help after a crash is when you received a separate citation at the scene, like a ticket for running a red light that caused the collision. Completing traffic school could mask the point from that citation, though the at-fault accident point remains on your record for the full three years.
Check What Actually Appears on Your Record
Before shopping for insurance or applying for a job that involves driving, get a copy of your own driving record from the DMV. You can request it online, by mail, or in person. California offers a three-year record that shows recent activity and a 10-year record that captures the fuller history, including DUI convictions and major violations. Your record may contain entries you have forgotten about, or fault determinations you were never told about.8California Department of Motor Vehicles. California Driver Handbook – Section 10: Financial Responsibility, Insurance Requirements, and Collisions