Along with staining your public record, a car accident in Georgia may result in various losses, including property and physical impairment. Your insurance will cover all your damages such as any medical costs incurred and other ancillary expenses. It is likely that a professional attorney hired by you will assist you in getting the fair compensation you deserve; in case the other driver was the culprit causing your wreck. In certain cases, where you have majorly contributed to the cause of the accident, you might also face other indirect expenses. However, it is relatively easy to recover direct expenses caused by the crash. The fact that such incidents are documented on the public record of every individual can be extremely concerning. Below is the time frame and relevant reasons due to which accidents become a part of your public record.
According to the Georgia Law Enforcement and the Open Records Act, other than initial incident reports and initial public arrest reports, any other records are not required to be released in a pending prosecution or active investigation. Even in the case where the investigation did not lead to prosecution, it is deemed to be inactive after the matter is closed. However, such investigation might also be reopened at a later date.
Why Accidents on Your Record Matter?
A crash after being reported to the relevant authorities is made part of your permanent record and severe consequences may ensue. As per Georgia’s accident reporting requirements, an accident causing any injuries or exceeding a loss of $500 must be made part of your permanent file. The crash will be included in your public record if it meets these criteria, followed by a formal police report.
As the name suggests, your record is easily accessible to the public. That being said, any individual or entity pursuing to extract the accident details of a certain case is required to file a written statement of need. Even if the entity decides not to submit a written request with the relevant department, they are still able to view that you were somehow involved in the accident, if not caused it.
This is common when potential employers are seeking a background check for certain potential employees. The potential employer or stakeholder may be concerned whether you were responsible for the wreckage and might consider you as a person responsible for impulsive actions. It is likely that this will harm your social and work life.
Similarly, your insurance agent might also see you as a threat and thereby increase your insurance rates in order to hedge their risks. Your insurance premiums are directly proportional to the risks associated with you as a vehicle insurance policyholder. Such premium rates are likely to skyrocket in case you are involved in a second accident within the designated lookback period.
Duration of Accidents on Your Insurance Record:
Insurers have a lookback period of an average of two years. Depending upon the insurance company, the details of your accident lingers on your insurance record. This concludes that the accident will remain a part of your insurance for a period of two years from the date of the incident. This particular timeframe is known as the lookback period. Your premium rates are dependent on the length of this time frame. It is essential to note that if you are involved in another car accident within this particular time slot, it will be deemed as a second or third violation, therefore having an adverse impact on your already hiked insurance rates.
Duration of Accidents on Your Public Record:
It is very rare that an accident report is filed for a minor accident typically costing less than $500 damages. This is also good news for people involved in road accidents. The worst-case scenario is adding up points for a minor road violation or any other moving violation, which could be wiped after a period of two years.
However, an accident becomes part of your permanent record if a police report is submitted and it satisfies the standard reporting benchmark. There are certain legal options to conceal such information and consulting a Georgia accident attorney is the best way to do it.
Benefits of Hiring a Lawyer after a Car Accident in Georgia:
If a car accident in Georgia has left you wounded and out of work, we sincerely advise you to contact our offices. Our legal professionals will guide you throughout the process and win the compensation you deserve.