If I get into an accident or get a ticket will my rates go up?
Under California law a good driver is defined as someone who has been licensed to drive in the continental United States for three continuous years and has one point or less on their driving record. Insurance companies verify your point count by checking your motor vehicle record and through the use of shared claims data companies such as CLUE and ChoicePoint. Most tickets and accidents count as one point. However, some count as two. Accidents involving property damage only count as one point. If the accident involved any bodily injury, any at all, it counts as two points. The only way to prove an accident did not involve bodily injury is to obtain a copy of the police report or a letter from your insurance company who covered you at the time of the accident. Major violations such as drunk driving, reckless, exhibition of speed, speeding over 100 MPH are two-point tickets. Tickets count as points for three years. After three years they drop off your point count. They may still appear on your driving record, but the insurance company cannot count that against you. Also, note that some companies use the Violation date to determine the three year period while others use the Conviction date.
As long as you have one point or less and have been licensed for three or more continuous years, your rates should not fluctuate more than 5% or so.