6 Mistakes People Make on a Car Insurance Claim

By: David Schneider, Car Insurance Expert
CheaperCarInsurance.com

Getting into a car accident can be flustering. You’re worried about whether you’re hurt, whether your car is damaged, and you may not be sure what to do. Here are 6 surefire ways to cause problems down the road, so take note!

1. Automatically Taking Blame

Even if you think the accident is your fault, don’t speak up and say so. Leave the deciding to the police officer who arrives to write a report about the accident. Taking blame will make it easy for the other party to point the finger at you, and the accident will be recorded on your policy when you file your car insurance claim, causing your rate to go up.

There’s no need to engage the other driver in a “whose fault is it” conversation. The best thing you can do is keep quiet. If you feel the urge to apologize and say “sorry,” bite your tongue.

2. Assuming the Damage is Minimal

If you’re in a hurry and someone rear ends you, you may be tempted to do a quick once over of the vehicle, decide the damage is superficial and move on. Likewise, you may think your body wasn’t hurt in the accident. These are very serious mistakes, because it could turn out that there is structural damage to your car, and you may have bodily injuries that manifest later.

Get the other party’s information, even if you assume the damage is superficial. Get your car looked at by a reputable car repair shop as soon as possible, and if there is damage, start the process of filing your car insurance claim immediately. Also, it’s a good idea to see a doctor to make sure you didn’t hurt your neck or back in the accident.

3. Barely Skimming Your Policy

You’ve got insurance, sure, but who has time to actually read the fine print? If you get in an accident and have to file a car insurance claim, you’ll be wishing you had better understood what type of coverage you have.

There are certain components of an insurance policy it’s good to know if you get in an accident:

• Do you have towing as part of your coverage?
• Do you have rental reimbursement?
• What about uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage?

Finding out the answers to these questions after the accident is less useful. Take just a few minutes to review your policy right now.

4. Getting the Highest Deductible to Save Money

One way to save on car insurance is to choose the highest deductible possible. Unfortunately, this comes as a serious consequence when you file a car insurance claim, because you are now responsible for paying that high deductible, which can be as much as $2000, to get your car repaired.

Here you have two options:

• Choose a deductible you can afford to pay at any given time
• Choose the higher deductible but have that amount in savings in case you need it.

5. Not Getting the Other Driver’s Information

If you think you just have a minor scrape, you might not want to bother getting the other party’s insurance and contact info. Bad idea. Even if it’s just a scrape, his insurance will pay for it. Better safe than sorry.

6. Being Convinced to Handle the Repair Cost “Off the Record”

If the other party caused the accident, he may try to smooth talk you into letting him pay for the repairs out of pocket to avoid it being on his insurance record. Don’t be swayed. His promise to pay holds no weight, and you may find yourself several thousand dollars shy of getting your car repaired. Always handle a car insurance claim through your insurance company.

Posted: January 21, 2010