Car Insurance Accident Liability – How To Determine Who Is At Fault?
Reader question:
How do you prove liability and responsibility in a vehicle insurance accident?
Ennis
That is a very good question, Ennis.
When you get into a car accident and you weren’t the cause of it, many would start out by seeing red. They might want to toss out insults and make demands to the at fault driver’s vehicle insurance company. However, the problem with this is that saying it does not make it so. You can’t just demand that your car insurance company realize who is the driver that should be liable in a certain situation, because there has to be more proof beyond just the words of the two drivers involved, considering that much of the time both will be vouching for their own side of the story.
Liability comes down to one basic factor, and that is the carelessness, or negligence, of the drivers. If one of the drivers is found to have been more careless than the other driver, than that driver will have to pay more of the car insurance claim costs than the driver who was not as careless. However, carelessness is not the singular factor. There are others, as follows.
- If the person who was injured in the collision was in a place that they had no business being, and the other driver had no reasonable reason to think that they or anybody else might be there. It’s like if you drive into a dark alley in the middle of the night to park and you run over someone sleeping on the ground. People have to sleep, but an alleyway is not the normal place for that, so the driver can not be considered careless for driving into a dark place to park and to dodging the people.
- Now, there are some cases where the person who was injured was careless, but so was the person doing the driving. As an example, if you run out into the middle of the street in your neighborhood and get hit by a car. Now, the car should be taking care while driving in a neighborhood and go slowly, because there are plenty of children and pets who are more likely than adults to run into the street randomly. On the second hand, you were stupid to have run into the street. This is called comparative negligence, and both of you would have to pay for the percent that was determined to have been your fault.
- If the collision happens on or involving some kind of property that is not safe, for reasons of being badly made or not well kept up, or for any reason really other than that you just crashed into it, then the owner will hold part of the responsibility, even if it isn’t his fault that the property is in this condition.
- If the motor vehicle accident is caused because one of the vehicles is defected in some way, then the blame falls on neither driver but instead on both the manufacturer of the car and the person who sold it, regardless of which of them is actually fully responsible for the defect.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
What Happens to My Car Insurance Rate After An Accident?
Reader question:
I have pretty much every type of car insurance coverage available on my car. Now what do I do if I get into a car wreck?
Jimmy
Great question!
While the brunt of the handling of the situation will rest with your car insurance company, you will have to do your own share as well. Because of this, you should always be prepared and know what to do ahead of time. It’s good that you are taking interest in this in advance. Here are some guidelines to follow when you get into a car insurance accident.
- Keep an insurance kit in your car. This will contain things like your car insurance card, a disposable camera, a flashlight, pen and paper, phone numbers you might need, and anything else you can think of that might be necessary in the case of a car accident. Stick it all in your glove compartment for easy access.
- Stay cool. If you freak out, not only might you forget to do things that you need to do at the scene of the accident, but you might forget more about what happened when the time comes to tell.
- If there are any injuries, no matter how not serious, call 911.
- If it is possible, drive both cars to an area where they are not in the way of traffic. You already got into one accident for the day, you don’t want to cause another.
- If the damages are more than you can pay, then you should call a police officer so that a police report can be filed. The cop will want to get information from you as well as for those who witnessed the accident, and it is important that a police report be filed with both sides of the story.
- Use your camera to take pictures of damages. This helps you avoid fraud.
- Sometimes you are unable to get a cop out there to file a report. If this happens, you an the other driver have to go to the station to do it yourselves.
- Always report the accident to your car insurance company, and if it is for more than your deductible, file a claim. Even if the other person said that wouldn’t file a claim, call anyway, because you never know if they are telling the truth and you want your car insurance company to hear it from you first.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
Can I Get a Car Insurance Discount For Being a Safe Driver?
Reader question:
I have a very good driving record, but my car insurance rates could still stand to go down a little bit. Is there something that I could do to make this happen?
Joel
Glad you asked, Joel.
I’m going to concentrate on the fact that you mentioned that you have a good driving record, which automatically will give you points with any car insurance company. Being safe is the car insurance company’s favorite quality in a customer, and it goes far beyond just staying under the speed limit. The more you do to keep yourself safe while on and off the road, the cheaper your car insurance rates will be. Whether this shows through in actual car insurance discount safety rates or in lower rates due to no claim history, you’re doing good either way.
Here are some tips.
- Anti lock disc brakes come with most new cars, although some are still behind on this issue. These are among the favorite safety features of the car insurance companies, because they prevent many accidents by making it easier to brake in dangerous conditions. Anti lock disc brakes can get you better car insurance rates.
- Anti theft devices are good for your comprehensive car insurance coverage rates. Most companies require that you get an active immobilizer, so that your car cannot be started if it is broken into.
- Another of th favorite safety features for collision rates is the air bag. There are a thousand different types of air bags and the more, the better.
- Daytime running lights are a relatively new entry to the situation, and they make it easier for cars to see each other during the day and while it is raining. These are low beam lights that stay on all the time, and have their own special discounts with many companies.
- Buckle up, like all of the signs say. That sounds too simple, but it really can help keep your car insurance rates down.
Most of all, though, keep doing what you’re doing. The best way to stay in a preferred class of customers is to keep a constant good driving record so that eventually, if you do mess up, you might not even have to suffer the consequences due to your history.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
Is There an Engineer Discount For Car Insurance?
Reader’s question:
I recently got my college degree, and while I was attending school I could get a car insurance discount for having good grades Now that I no longer have grades, though, is there another discount for me?
Craig
Good question, Craig.
This is actually a new area in which car insuranc discounts are being offered. Recent studies have shown that many people’s driving patterns reflect their living patterns as well, as relates to their job, their education, their marriage. For a long time getting married has had a positive effect on people’s car insurance premiums, especially those of men’s, but now the other two categories are seeping into the area of car insurance discounts. You’ll see people getting discounts for being teachers or scientists.
And you can now get a car insurance discount for the degree you have as well. Or at least if you get your car insurance policy with 21st Century Insurance, you can. 21st Century offers discounted car insurance rates for people who have degrees in certain fields. These fields include mathematics, engineering, and chemistry, and pretty much any other degrees that would fall into the same department as those. If you graduated with one of these kinds of degrees, then you can get a car insurance discount from one of these companies.
21st Century is a car insurance company that does business in many states like Texas and Arizona, as well as Washington and Nevada. In all of the states that it operates it gives the option of this discount, which is named the engineering and scientist discount. According to the company’s vice president, this discount can get you as such as thirty percent off on your car insurance premium.’
The reason that people with these degrees are seeing good discounts is because, according to studies, scientists tend to be more meticulous people. Because of this, they pay more attention to their driving as well as to their surroundings.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
Can I Get a Car Insurance Discount For Buying a New Car?
Reader question:
Can you get new car insurance discounts for certain types of cars?
Jasmine
Sure you can.
If you have a brand new car that is getting a title for the very first time since it is fresh out of the factory, then there are a lot of car insurance companies who will provide you with a car insurance discount in this instance. That’s good news for anybody getting new cars, because the expenses are already huge. Newer cars have higher rates for car insurance premiums, and so this makes it easier to handle the higher threshold of coverage for a new vehicle.
Here are some types of cars that receive discounts for their class of cars.
- Cars that are economic. You can get a new car insurance discount for an economic car, especially on your collision coverage rate, because the parts are easier and cheaper to come by and the labor is cheaper for these kinds of cars. Another great thing about them is that they are often less expensive for you to maintain, so you win on all sides.
- Discount for utility vehicles. Several different car insurance companies offer car insurance discounts for certain types of pickup trucks. Call your car insurance company and ask if they do this, and for what kinds.
- Safety ratings. Cars go through safety crash tests that determine how they will hold up in the case of several different types of accidents, both concerning the car itself and the people inside of it. Cars who perform better get better safety ratings as well as better car insurance rates.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
New Student Car Insurance Discounts
Filed under: Auto insurance help, Student Car Insurance
Reader question:
When I turned 16 and got my first car, I also got added to the car insurance policy that my parent’s had. Now I’m leaving state to go to school elsewhere, so I’ll be getting my own new student car insurance. I know it will be more expensive, but how do I make it cheaper?
Sharon
It’s easy, Sharon.
First I want to remind you of the option to just not get a new student car insurance policy at all. If you are going to school in a different state, most car insurance companies will give a huge discount or not charge for you at all while your name is still on the policy, so if you leave your car at home you could end up paying nothing for car insurance and still be covered when you use it during visits home. This may not sound reasonable, but consider that if you are moving to a college town, not only will you live on campus but you will probably be able to get places where you need to go by taking public transportation.
If that isn’t what you want to do, or if your college town doesn’t have a good bus system, then here are some ways to get it done.
- Raise your deductible. This is the most basic cheap car insurance rates advice. The higher your deductible, the lower your premium. Just make sure that you can afford the higher deductible.
- Lower your standards. Pick a car that has some grey hairs and wrinkles, but is still safe. Older cars are cheaper to insure, and you also won’t need as much insurance. In the same vein, consider not getting that great stereo and those rims.
- Is your car worth less than your premium? Then you should only get the minimum state required car insurance coverage.
- Take a class in defensive driving.
- Maintain your credit report. It’s time that you are starting out in life and getting your credit going, so be careful now or you’ll have problems in the future.
- Look around for your car insurance company. Get instant online rate quotes and compare, compare, compare.
- Join an organization that helps you get discounted car insurance rates.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
Can An Insurance Company Cancel My Policy In Texas?
Reader question:
Are Texas car insurance companies allowed to cancel my auto insurance policy if I get ticketed for speeding?
Bruce
They are, yes.
Car insurance companies accept their customers based on a certain criteria, and you can’t expect a car insurance company that did not give policies to high risk drivers to begin with to continue to let you have a policy with them if you move into the high risk driver group while you are there. While it is not true that these companies will always, without fail, find out about any of your car traffic infractions, for the most part they check your driving record regularly, so if it comes up they can cancel or refuse to renew tour car insurance policy.
For the most part, this only happens if you get the ticket within two months of having gotten the policy to begin with. For example, if you get a ticket later on in your policy cycle, they might let it slide. The only reason that most companies will cancel during that time is if you don’t pay your premium as scheduled.
Also, if it is your first speeding ticket, for the most part your car insurance company won’t cancel or not renew your policy for just the one. While Texas is not among the states that have laws making it to where they cannot cancel you for one ticket, most car insurance companies still see letting the first ticket go as good business practice. If you get more than one speeding ticket during your premium period, though, you’re pretty much guaranteed a non renewal.
If you want to avoid getting high rates or policy cancellation, Texas offers defensive driving classes that you can take in order to get these offenses wiped off of your record.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
Texas High Risk Car Insurance Policy – No One Wants Me?
Reader question:
I’ve been looking and looking, but since I got my last car insurance policy canceled, nobody wants to give me a car insurance policy in Texas. What do I do?
Greg
Excellent question.
I understand your dilemma. There must have been a reason for the cancellation for your car insurance policy, and that is probably one of the big reasons why car insurance companies around the area won’t admit you. Whether they were showing you the door for a conviction for driving while intoxicated, or if they just didn’t want you because you had missed a car insurance premium payment, recent inconsistencies in the records of your previous car insurance company can have an affect on your insurability as well as your rates.
The first thing you want to do is step up your game and continue to shop around for good car insurance deals. It is still possible that you just haven’t looked hard enough, so if you give it a try you might do better. Get some free online car insurance quotes and see if anybody has a good deal
If all else fails, you might want to consider getting involved in the Texas car insurance risk pool. Going by the name of the Texas Auto Insurance Plan Association, this pool helps people who are generally refused by car insurance companies a chance to get covered as required by Texas state insurance law. The standard premium for TAIPA costs more than that for a company outside of it, but it is better than not getting insured at all.
Unfortunately, you might not be able to get TAIPA if you are in the process of buying a vehicle, because it does not offer coverages that are often required by financiers, such as comprehensive and collision. Instead, it can give you the state liability requirements, and you also have options of uninsured motorist coverage and PIP.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
How Do I Get A Student Car Insurance Discount?
Reader question:
I’m getting student car insurance for the first time. How do I do this?
Mandy
Great question.
Stepping into the car insurance market can be a disorienting thing when you are a student who has possibly just gotten her first car. In fact, it might not be the first thing that you are thinking about when you embark on your journey to college and the rest of your life, because so many people do not put the priority on car insurance that it requires.This general lack of attention is one of the primary causes to the fact that the majority of policy holders driving in this country are paying more for their car insurance policy than they actually need to. When you’re a student and are paying higher prices than most anyway, shopping around for a good car insurance company becomes extremely important.
Most of the time, when you are just getting into car insurance for your first time, you might not be clear on the details. Do I even need it, you might ask. And why? There’s a good reason why. In every state there is some kind of law regulating posession of car insurance, and if you go driving without car insurance coverage, then you are going to end up with serious fines and possibly the loss of your license–and once you shape up and get that insurance, after you’ve made your mistake you might be paying higher rates than before.
There is another good reason to get the state’s minimum car insurance coverage. The fact is that if you cause an accident, you are responsible for the damages to the other car. If you don’t have car insurance, then the only person the other driver has to come to for their repairs is you, and you could end up with a big law suit on your hand. Even the most expensive car insurance premium is cheaper than thousands and thousands of dollars in legal fees.
One thing that most who are under the age of twenty five know when they are going into the student car insurance market is that they will e paying high prices. This takes their guard down. The truth is, you can get a good price even at twenty. How?
- Shop. The first thing you need to do when looking for car insurance coverage is get online and find a site that offers free online auto insurance quotes from several companies. Then, take your best quotes and look up the websites for their companies to find out which one you like best.
- Be informed. Figure out before you send over the money what kind of coverage you need. Get to know what your state minimum is. As for the other ones, do you have health insurance? If not, get personal injury protection. Is your car pretty old and junky? Then you probably don’t need comprehensive or collision.
- Inform your car insurance agent that you are looking at several other companies. This makes them more competitive in giving you a good price.
- Discounts are one of the best ways to get a low car insurance rate. Since you’re a student, you might do well to get the good student discount which rewards a B average or better. If you are studying something like mathematics, some companies give discounts for that, too.
- Make your deductible as high a you can afford. That will keep your premiums extra low, and if you drive safe, then you might not ever need to pay it.
- Always stay aware of what’s going on. If something is seriously wrong with the company, then you might need to file a complaint.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
Safe Driver Car Insurance – What Should I Pay For Car Insurance?
Reader question:
If I drive safe for three years straight, does my car insurance company have to give me better rates?
Don’t you wish?
Although it might be nice if safe driving automatically gained you cheap car insurance rates, it is not something that you can always take for granted. Some car insurance companies require longer periods of time, and other may factor in what exactly your previous offense were, or even how many non fault car insurance claims you have on record.
The best way to make sure you get better rates after a long period of safe driving is to make sure that you know this from the get go. Shop around and get safe driver auto insurance quotes online, and find out who gives safe drivers the best prices, when, and what the discounts are.
cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
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