Who is Responsible For an Accident In a Parking Lot
Reader’s Question:
I heard that if you are in a parking lot accident each person is responsible for their own vehicle repairs, is that true?
Johann
Shreveport, LA
It depends on the details of the accident and if there is a clear cut driver at fault or not. As with most of parking lot accidents it will be up to state negligence laws and an investigation from the insurance companies involved in determining whose fault was the accident. If the insurance companies involved found that each party has 50 percent to blame for the accident, then it may be that each party will end up taking car of their own damages.
Louisiana is known as a comparative negligence state which means a driver can be anywhere within zero to 100 percent at fault in an accident. The Department of Insurance for Louisiana site states that procedures for parking lot accidents may differ somewhat from place to place, but generally speaking, the law enforcement agency with authority in the area where the parking lot is located will respond when you have an accident, even if it is on private property.
A parking lot in Shreveport, Louisiana, as in any place else you operate your automobile, all the usual rules regarding insurance do apply, and most of them are just good common sense. If a driver is backing out a space in a private lot and collides with another car that has the right of way, the first driver is at fault.
However, if both you and the other driver are backing out of parking spaces or cutting across an empty parking space when you collide, both may be considered at fault. Typically, you must be at least 50 percent at fault for your liability to pay the costs. This means that in many parking lot incidents, neither person’s policy will pay for damage to the other vehicle because the drivers share the liability.
Penalty For Driving Without Auto Insurance In Connecticut
Reader’s Question:
My friend got involved in a accident and it was not his fault and she had no insurance in Manchester, Connecticut. What will be her penalties?
Miranda
Manchester, CT
The penalties for being caught operating without insurance in Manchester, Connecticut include a fine of at least $110 and impound of the car. If your friend was at fault in the accident he would be held personally liable for the injuries and damages she caused to the others. Since she were not at fault she may be able to put her claim through the at-fault party’s insurance provider for her vehicle’s damages.
Keep in mind that CT law requires that all registered cars have liability insurance maintained at all times. When you renew or register a car registration, you must certify insurance coverage. Your signature attests that minimum car liability insurance will be maintained throughout the registration period and the automobile will not be driven without insurance.
Caught Driving Without Car Insurance – What Will Happen To Me?
Reader’s Question:
I know someone that got pulled over for the 4th time in ten years and she didn’t have car insurance. What will happen to her and will be the penalties she will be facing?
Arthur
Mobile, AL
The penalty for driving without insurance differ from state to state. In most states, your may will be impounded and car tag can be seized. Plus, some states impose heavy fines for those who operate a vehicle without car insurance. Limited states fine a fee of $150 to $500 for driving without car insurance.
The penalties can be far more serious if you get involved in an accident and do not have proper liability. You may be required to carry financial responsibility laws (SR22, SR22s, SR16) including having to pay for any damages or injuries out of your own pocket.
For every dollar you pay for auto insurance premium, a portion goes to those states that aren’t aggressive toward uninsured motorists.
Cheap High Performance Car Insurance
Reader question:
I have a great car but it has a dent on it now, which I found when I came out of the store. Should I make a high performance car insurance claim?
Michael
I’m glad you asked, Michael.
You know, I think that one of the reasons that people can’t get cheap high performance car insurance is because they are too worry some about their vehicles. Now, don’t get me wrong. Most high performance cars are expensive, and thus even the smallest scratch could cost more money than usual to fix. However, you should not compensate for your worry for your vehicle by making a high performance car insurance claim for every little thing that happens. Even if it is something that will cost money to fix, that does not mean that your car insurance company will need to know.
The way I see it is that if something is under your deductible or you are otherwise able to afford to pay for the damages, then most of the time there is no reason to contact your high performance car insurance company unless you are a hundred percent sure that this would not put your clean auto insurance claim record in jeapordy. The reason I say this is, even though auto insurance companies want you to report all accidents in good faith even if you don’t file a high performance auto insurance claim for them, and they won’t punish you after the first couple, once you start a list then you will begin to see that they don’t think you are as good a customer as they thought you were before.
There are some guidelines that you should go by when deciding whether or not to report your high performance auto insurance accident to your company, and I’ll give you a list following this. You should think about these before you decide to call up and advise your company of your dent, although there are always going to be more factors and these should not be the deciding ones for your situation. Here they are.
- Can I pay for this?
This is the number one primary thing that you should consider. I got a dent in my car, too, recently, but I didn’t bother to call up my vehicle insurance company. It will probably cost me around fifty dollars to get fixed, which is five percent of my auto insurance deductible, so it doesn’t make any sense to report it. I can just wait and be lazy and go get it fixed when I’m ready, instead of having to worry about the long problems making a claim with my auto insurance collision coverage.
- Am I alone in this?
Another thing that will obviously play a huge role in you reporting your little accident to your high performance car insurance company is whether or not someone else is involved. If someone else is involved in the accident, then go no further. REPORT IT. I really don’t think there should be exceptions to this guideline, because even if the other person says they are okay and there is no need to report it and claim, that does not mean that it is true.
I’m not saying that the other person is lying, but I am saying that the evidence of damage may not be apparent right away after you get into an accident. The other person might start to feel back pains later that night, or might notice their vehicle making weird noises on the way home. One time I barely nicked a guy, and although there was no outer damage to my car, it wouldn’t start! You never know what will happen. If you get into an accident involving another party, report it.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
Do You Really Need Uninsured Auto Insurance Coverage
Reader question:
What happens if I get crashed into by somebody who doesn’t have auto insurance coverage? For the record, I do carry uninsured motorist coverage. Is my car insurance going to give me my damages, and then chase after the uninsured driver to get from him what they paid out to me?
Lynn
That’s a good question, Lynn.
The first question that you should ask in this situation is what the policy of your company and state is. Some companies would do this, others would not, and certain states have laws concerning lawsuits against uninsured drivers. However, I would say that it is very likely that if this happens, then your insurance company would subrogate (go after with a lawsuit, as you might say) the insured driver.
First of all, you say you have uninsured motorist coverage. This will take care of all of the damages that a motorist’s liability insurance would normally pay for. While your car insurance company is able to subrogate the other driver, you are also allowed to go after him or her in order to get compensation for any emotional or other long lasting struggles that yo have faced.
When in doubt as to your options, consult with an attorney. If you intend to file lawsuit against the uninsured motorist that your auto insurance coverage took care of, then you will need to have legal consultation.
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.
What Are The Different Types Of Car Insurance Coverage And Which Should I Have?
This car insurance commercial that I found on YouTube really cracks me up. It sort of embodies the confusion that most people feel when they are trying to hash out their car insurance policy with their company, and everything seems both repetitive and lost on them every time. I’m going to try to help make this feeling a little better by giving you a short guide to different types of car insurance coverage that you might need when you go to get your policy.
- Comprehensive.
Comprehensive coverage is often required if you are financing a vehicle, but is to required by law in any state. This covers any damage or loss of vehicle in the event of a natural disaster, such as a flood or fire, or in the case of theft or vandalism. These are basically accidents that do not involve driving.
- Collision.
This is another type of coverage that might be required by your financer. Collision covers the damages or total loss of your vehicle of you get into a car accident with somebody else and you are the at fault driver.
- Gap insurance.
Third in the financer trilogy, gap insurance picks up where all of your other coverages leave off. In order to get this type of coverage, you have to have the max limits on all of your other coverage. This could be a lot of help if you total a car that you’re still paying on, because the value is often less than what you still owe.
- Liability.
This is the basic car insurance coverage that is required by most states. Liability encompasses three types of coverage, for injury or death to one or more persons, and for property damage. It covers the other driver in the case of an accident in which you are at fault.
- Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage.
When a driver causes an accident and does not have enough insurance, or any at all, to cover your damages, this type of car insurance coverage kicks in.
- Personal injury protection.
This is very popular in no fault states, and where it is not required might not be necessary if you have health and life insurance. It kicks in before the other driver’s liability does, and covers you if you are at fault. It handles medical expenses, wage loss, and death.
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.
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