How Can A Car Accident Affect Your Insurance Rates?
Insurance companies take several things into account when calculating your rates
. Generally the evaluations fall into two categories: Things you can control, and things you can't control. Things you can't control include gender, age, and other insured drivers in your zip code. Things you can control consist of:
-Vehicle Type
-Credit Score
-Your Accident History
An example would be if you drove a Ferrari instead of a 1994 Toyota Camry. Your rates would be higher because any damages to the more expensive car would be...more expensive! Many car accident attorneys may actually advise you to shop for car insurance before shopping for the actual car because of this.
Your credit score may also have an impact on your rates. If you have a low credit score it may cause you to pay higher premiums. Although some will, not all car insurance companies will factory your credit score into their decision. A bad credit score will lead to higher premiums if they do.
Accident history is the most complicated of the three factors. Obviously your car accident history will affect your insurance rates. It is more expensive to insure a driver who has a long history of accidents, obviously. This may seem out of your control to an extent. Safe driving can prevent car accidents to an extent, but as you know you can't control the other drivers on the road. But even if the accident isn't your fault it's possible that your premiums could go up.
Don't talk to the insurance adjuster!
It may seem like a good idea to speak with an insurance adjuster, and it may seem harmless if you think you aren't at fault in the accident. This is not the case. Even if the accident is not your fault, just the fact that it happened can make your rates go up. The insurance adjuster is only out to do one thing: make sure the costs for the insurance company are as low as possible. Your fight with the insurance company will get harder if you admit even a little fault for the accident.
It's important to avoid making a mistake after a car accident in your battle with the insurance company. Your premiums and injury claim can be seriously affected by simple mistakes. Be sure you know how to avoid those mistakes.