Your driving record affects your rates

If you have at-fault accidents or commit traffic violations, your driving record will accumulate surcharge "points" depending on the nature of the incident. You accumulate surcharge points if you are responsible for an accident or commit a traffic violation.

• Accidents: You receuve surcharge points if you are more than 50% at-fault for a motor vehicle accident that results in damage to property or bodily injury of more than $500. If you disagree with the determination that you are at fault for an accident, you may appeal the surcharge to the Board of Appeals.

• Traffic Violations: you also receive surcharge points if you are convicted of, or pay a fine for a traffic violation; or are assigned to a drug or alcohol eductaion program. If you disagree with a traffic violation you must appeal it through the court system. Traffic violations cannot be appealed to the division of Insurance Board of Appeals or the Merit Rating Board.

Drivers with no at-fault accidents or moving violations will have zero (0) surcharge points. Dirvers with a least 5 years of clean driving will receive a considerable discount.

Schedule of surcharge points is as follows:

Surchargeable Incident                                  Surcharge Points

Major Trafic Violation (i.e. DUI)                                           5

Major At-Fault Accident (Claim over $2000)                          4

Minor At-Fault Accident (Claim over $500 to $2000)              3

Minor Traffic Violation (i.e., speeding, no inspecion sticker)    2

No surchage points are assigned to the first non-criminal minor traffic violation in the 5 years immediately precedign the effective date of your policy.

Surcharge points cost you money and increase your premiums

The more points you have, the higher your premium. Points can accumulate quickley and each new incident, increases the number of points on your record. Each point increases the premium paid for 4 coverages in your poicy:

Part 1 Compulsory injury

Part 2 Personal Injury Protection

Part 4 Property Damage

Part 7 Collision

Each point accumulated is 15% of the above coverages. If you are an inexperience operator (licensed less than 6 years) each point is 7.5% of the above coverages. The total number of points you can accumulate are 45.

As you can see, your premium will increase dramatically if you have accidents or moving violations. On the contrary, you will receive a discont if you are considered an Excellant driver (no incidents in the last 5 years) with a point of 98 or an Excellant Driver Plus (no incidents in the last 6 years) with a point of 99.

New Operators New to Massachusetts:

The SDIP system allows drivers new to Massachusetts to get credit for their safe driving in other jurisdictions. If a driver new to Massachusetts was licensed in another state or country within the last 6 years, the driver will initially have zero "0" SDIP surchagre points. However, the new driver will not be eligible for any safe driving discounts.

If a new driver's Motor Vehicle Report (MVR) is electronically available, the insurer will be responsible for obtaining it from the state or country where the driver was previously licensed. If an MVR is not electronically available, the driver can obtaon an officail driving record or a record from a previous insurer and submit it to the current insurer.

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