• A bad driving record: If insurance companies see that you have a drunk driving arrest, a ticket for reckless driving, past accidents or a number of speeding tickets or other moving violations, they will assume that you are more likely to have a lot of claims (which will cost them more) so they'll charge you more.
• Cancellations: If you were cancelled by an insurance company, other companies will assume they had a good reason.
• Bad credit history: If you have a history of not paying your bills (or paying them late) the insurance company may think that you will cost them more time and money.
• Personal Profile: Because of overall driving patterns, insurance companies sometimes treat teens, people who live in the city and men as riskier drivers
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In these cases, many insurance companies won't let you buy insurance from them. You will need to find a company that sells what is called "high-risk" insurance. This insurance will be expensive (in some cases, three times as much as standard insurance), but remember that it is illegal to drive without insurance in most states! Find out if you need auto insurance to legally drive in your state.

Finding High-Risk Insurance
If you can't find any company that will offer you insurance, contact your State Insurance Commissioner. Every state has what is called a "shared risk program" to make sure that drivers can get auto insurance (even when they're considered a high risk by insurance companies) to insure drivers to get insurance. Find your State Insurance Commissioner.

Keep in mind that even if you're a high-risk driver there are things you can do to cut down on the cost of your insurance. Get a list of suggestions for saving money on insurance. And don't worry after three to five years of safe driving, your insurance rates should return to normal.