A high-risk driver, in the Department of Insurance's words, is a driver who is not acceptable to a standard lines insurance company because of a poor driving record, and who is assigned to an insurance company through the assigned risk pool.
How the assigned risk pool works
The Department's auto terms list defines the California Automobile Assigned Risk Plan (CAARP) as the pool in which all insurers licensed to sell auto insurance in California agree to accept a share of high-risk drivers, based on the percentage of auto policies they issue in the state. Its automobile insurance guide says that if you have had several accidents or speeding tickets and cannot find a standard company, you can get liability insurance through CAARP: the program assigns you to a company, every company in the program must charge the same premiums, and you can pay in installments. After a certain number of years, a violation or accident may drop off your record, and you may then be able to buy a standard policy.
What it is not
CAARP is liability insurance. It does not guarantee coverage on your own car. It is also not the Low Cost Auto program, which the Department's terms list describes as a pilot for residents of Los Angeles and San Francisco Counties who meet lower-income requirements, though it is administered by CAARP. We have not verified the plan's current application rules, so ask your agent to confirm eligibility for your situation.
Related
A driving record that gets you here often involves points; see DMV points and negligent operator, and an SR-22 filing is a separate matter, see SR-22. The full guide is CAARP high-risk auto insurance. Spanish: conductor de alto riesgo. Index: glossary.
Sources, checked October 9, 2026: CDI auto terms; CDI automobile insurance guide (the guide is dated 2016, so program details may have changed).