Hit and Run in Florida: Rate Increase Timeline and Carrier Options

Florida assigns 6 points to a hit-and-run conviction under Florida Statute 316.027, but insurance carriers do not price the violation uniformly. State Farm, Progressive, and GEICO typically apply a point-violation surcharge, increasing premiums 40-60% for three years. Allstate, Liberty Mutual, and Nationwide classify hit-and-run as a bodily-injury claim when the incident involved another vehicle or person, triggering surcharges of 80-120% that can last five years on some underwriting schedules. The classification matters more than the point value. A standard point-violation surcharge phases out after three years and does not shift you into non-standard coverage tiers. A bodily-injury classification can reclassify you as high-risk, moving you out of preferred and standard pricing into assigned-risk pools or non-standard carriers. The carrier does not tell you which classification they applied until you receive the renewal notice or shop for a new quote. If you carried collision coverage at the time of the incident and filed a claim for your own vehicle damage, the carrier has two separate surcharge triggers: the claim payout and the violation. Carriers that separate these charges apply both, compounding the rate increase. Carriers that bundle claim and violation surcharges apply a single combined increase, which is still severe but avoids double-counting the same incident.

A 35-year-old Florida driver with a clean record paying $135/mo for state minimum liability coverage faced the following rate increases six months after a hit-and-run conviction with no claim filed. State Farm increased the premium to $195/mo, a 44% increase. GEICO quoted $210/mo, a 56% increase. Progressive moved the driver to $225/mo, a 67% increase. Allstate reclassified the driver as high-risk and quoted $285/mo through their non-standard subsidiary, a 111% increase. Liberty Mutual declined to renew at the standard rate and referred the driver to their non-standard division, quoting $305/mo. Nationwide quoted $275/mo but removed multi-policy and claim-free discounts that had previously reduced the base rate. Farmers quoted $265/mo and noted that the surcharge would remain in effect for five years. Travelers declined to quote, citing the combination of the hit-and-run conviction and the recent policy effective date, which flagged the driver as a new applicant with a known violation. Drivers who filed a claim at the time of the hit-and-run saw higher increases. The same driver profile with a $4,500 collision claim received quotes 20-35% higher than the no-claim scenario across all carriers. GEICO quoted $280/mo, Progressive quoted $295/mo, and Allstate quoted $340/mo. Non-standard carriers like Direct Auto and Acceptance Insurance quoted $320-$360/mo for state minimum coverage, reflecting both the claim history and the six-point violation.

Florida DMV points remain on your license for three years from the conviction date, not the incident date. Insurance surcharges follow a different timeline controlled by the carrier's underwriting lookback period. Most Florida carriers apply a three-year surcharge window for point violations, meaning the rate increase phases out 36 months after the conviction. Carriers treating hit-and-run as a bodily-injury claim extend the surcharge to five years. The surcharge does not drop off automatically at the three-year or five-year mark. Carriers re-rate your policy at renewal, which happens annually for most Florida drivers. If your conviction date falls between renewal periods, the surcharge persists until the next renewal after the lookback window closes. A conviction dated March 2023 on a policy renewing every January will carry the surcharge through the January 2027 renewal, even though the three-year window technically closed in March 2026. Shopping for a new carrier before the surcharge window closes does not eliminate the increase, but it resets the competitive landscape. A carrier that classified your hit-and-run as a bodily-injury claim may price you higher than a carrier treating it as a standard point violation. Switching carriers 18-24 months after the conviction allows you to capture any rate reductions from carriers with shorter lookback windows or more favorable classification rules.

Florida adds 6 points to your license immediately upon conviction for leaving the scene of an accident. The points remain on your driving record for three years and count toward the state's suspension thresholds: 12 points in 12 months triggers a 30-day suspension, 18 points in 18 months triggers a 90-day suspension, and 24 points in 36 months triggers a one-year suspension. A single hit-and-run conviction does not trigger suspension on its own, but any additional violation within three years stacks toward the threshold. Florida does not offer point reduction through defensive driving courses for hit-and-run convictions. The Basic Driver Improvement course removes up to 5 points from your record, but only for moving violations like speeding, running a red light, or failure to yield. Hit-and-run falls under Florida Statute 316.027 as a criminal traffic offense, not a civil moving violation, which disqualifies it from the point-reduction program. The six points stay on your license for the full three-year period regardless of course completion. The DMV record and the insurance surcharge operate independently. Even after the points expire from your DMV record, the conviction remains visible on your motor vehicle report for up to 10 years. Carriers reviewing your MVR during the application or renewal process see the conviction date and the violation type, which informs their underwriting decision. A hit-and-run conviction five years old no longer triggers a surcharge at most carriers, but it remains part of your claims and violations history when the carrier evaluates your risk tier.

Standard carriers like State Farm, GEICO, and Progressive will renew existing policies after a first hit-and-run conviction, but they reclassify the driver and remove discretionary discounts. New applicants with a hit-and-run conviction on record face declination from preferred carriers and are routed to standard or non-standard divisions. Allstate moves drivers with bodily-injury claims to Allstate Indemnity, their non-standard subsidiary. Liberty Mutual refers drivers to Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance Company, which handles non-standard auto risk. Non-standard carriers writing in Florida include Direct Auto, Acceptance Insurance, Freeway Insurance, and The General. These carriers specialize in high-risk drivers and price hit-and-run convictions into their base rates rather than applying them as surcharges on top of a standard rate. Monthly premiums range from $280 to $400 for state minimum liability coverage, depending on location, vehicle type, and additional violations. Non-standard carriers require continuous coverage and charge higher rates for drivers who allow a policy to lapse after a conviction. Assigned-risk pool coverage through the Florida Automobile Joint Underwriting Association is available to drivers declined by all voluntary-market carriers, but it is the highest-cost option. FAJUA assigns policies to participating carriers who charge state-approved rates, typically 50-80% higher than non-standard voluntary-market rates. Drivers placed in FAJUA remain there until they complete one full policy term without additional violations or claims, at which point they can apply for voluntary-market coverage.

Florida does not require SR-22 filing for a standalone hit-and-run conviction. The state mandates SR-22 only after a DUI, a driving-while-license-suspended offense, or accumulation of points that triggers license suspension. A first hit-and-run adds 6 points to your license, which does not meet the 12-point threshold for suspension unless combined with other violations within the same 12-month period. If your hit-and-run conviction occurred while your license was already suspended, or if the six points push your total above 12 points in 12 months, Florida DMV will suspend your license and require SR-22 filing for three years after reinstatement. The reinstatement process requires paying a $45 reinstatement fee, providing proof of insurance, and filing form SR-22 with the Bureau of Financial Responsibility. The SR-22 filing itself costs $15-$25 through most carriers, but the insurance premium for SR-22 coverage runs 40-70% higher than standard non-SR-22 rates. Carriers that write SR-22 policies in Florida include Progressive, GEICO, The General, Direct Auto, and Acceptance Insurance. Standard carriers like State Farm and Allstate file SR-22 for existing customers but decline new applicants who require filing at the time of application. If you are reinstating your license after a points suspension triggered by a hit-and-run plus additional violations, expect to shop non-standard carriers and carry SR-22 for the full three-year period even after your driving record improves.