At Fault Car Insurance Accident – Who Should Pay The Claim?
Reader question:
If I’m changing lanes and somebody in the lane I’m changing to is pulling out of a parallel parking spot, who is the at fault driver if we get into an auto accident?
Jerry
That’s a good question, Jerry.
It all depends on the timing of your little collision ballet, actually. For example, of the other car started pulling out before you started changing lanes, then that would bring one result. But if you started changing lanes before the other car began to pull out, then it would bring another. IT just goes to show how similar situations can be and how different the results are.
From the situation you describe, though, I want to say that it is most likely that the onus of the accident would be on the person who was changing lanes. The reason for this is, to begin with, that any time you collide with someone in a car insurance accident from behind, you are almost always at fault. This even applies when somebody slams on their brakes and then you run into them. The reason for this is that your car insurance company expects you to practice defensive driving techniques, which would have helped you avoid an accident.
It is also probable that if you started to change lanes and the other person started to pull out at the same time, that it would be a case of shared negligence. That way you would be considered responsible for a certain percentage of the other person’s damage, and they for a certain percentage of yours, depending on how much they are considered to be at fault in this car insurance accident. Either way, the person who ended up paying more would be the lane changer.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
Why Should I Lower My Car Insurance Deductible?
Reader question:
What is the effect on your car insurance premium if you lower your auto insurance deductible?
Amy
Good question, Amy.
The greatness of the effect of a lowering of your car insurance deductible on your premium depends a lot on what good of a driving history you have. For example, someone who has a very good driving record would not have as much of a negative effect from lowering their car insurance deductible as someone who already has a couple of speeding tickets under the belt. Why is that? Mostly it is because the way the car insurance company charges you for your auto insurance premium depends mostly on how likely you are to get into a car accident, so if you have a five hundred dollar deductible for a good driver premium, it’s not as big a deal that they would have to pay more on the off chance that you get into an accident in which you are at fault, because it is very unlikely that you will get into such an accident. Do you see what I mean?
However, it does not matter so much how good your record is if you want to keep your auto insurance premium low, because regardless, if you lower your car insurance deductible then your premium will go up. It just might go up less if you lower it with a good driving record.
One thing you should remember before lowering your car insurance deductible is that raising the deductible is one of the best ways for you to save money on your car insurance. It is one of the things that I always suggest to people who want to do so. Before you consider lowering your deductible, think about why you are doing it. Do you not want to be inconvenienced out of the higher deductible if you get into an accident? Think about the fact that higher premiums will inconvenience you out of way more money than a one time deductible. Don’t go ahead with lowering your car insurance deductible unless you know for a fact that you would be unable to afford to pay the higher one if you ever got into an at fault car insurance accident.
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.
I Just Want Liability Only Car Insurance – How Much Is It?
Reader question:
Right now I’m purchasing a car through a finance company. At what point am I able to get rid of the comprehensive and collision car insurance coverage and take it down to the minimum personal injury and property damage liability?
Isabel
That’s a good question, Isabel.
It really depends on what it says in your vehicles contract. For most vehicles, and probably all vehicles, which are purchased with the add of a financing institution such as the car dealer ship or a bank, extra coverage for comprehensive and collision, and sometimes gap coverage, is required until you have finished paying of your loan from the financial institution and they no longer have the risk of you ending your payments with them when the car has not been entirely bought. There are some dealer ships and banks that are more strict about this than others, but for the most part the best idea is for you to understand what your contract says and, if you have any questions, for you to just call up your dealer ship or where you got the loan from and ask what the policy is in regards to dropping your car insurance coverage for your new vehicle.
For the most part, though, in order for you to get rid of your extra required coverage on your vehicle, what you must first have is the pink slip noting that you have paid your new vehicle off completely, and a title in your hand allowing that you are the sole owner (unless you have a co signer, of course) of the vehicle in question. If you don’t have this, then you are in essentially a joint agreement between yourself and the financial institution that financed your purchase of the car. What’s yours is theirs and what’s theirs is theirs. If you decide to drop youtr coverage before the time comes up, they could either be surprisingly nice, or they could assert their ownership and repossess this car. Most financial institutions will try to get you to get insurance on your own first, because it is a lot more beneficial to them if you keep making payments on your car than it is if they have to sell it for a very depreciated price, so you probably wouldn’t have it repossessed right away.
Consider that it is not only in your vehicle insurance company’s interest, or in the financial institution financing your car’s interest that you have insurance on your new vehicle, but also in yours. It protects your health, your vehicles, and most importantly, your finances and credit report. While it’s good to have liability for the case of you causing an accident, the same important must be put on the other cove rages, because you can be in just as big a problem for having no insurance on a vehicle that you still haven’t paid off.
If you really are having a hard time trying to pay your car insurance coverage premium, then you should try alternative ways of making your bill smaller. You can try raising your deductible and asking for discounts, as well as getting instant online car insurance quotes from different companies.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
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.
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.
Where Should You Buy Used Car Insurance? Who Has Lowest Rates?
Reader question:
A couple of weeks ago I bought a used car in cash, and now I need to get used car insurance. Now, I know this car isn’t top of the line, but I’m not sure what kind of coverage I should get. Some help?
Anthony
Good question, Anthony.
Used cars tend to cost more in upkeep than do new cars, especially the used cars which can be bought for cash. They need more repairs more often and are less reliable on the road. On the bright side, though, you don’t have to make a monthly payment for them, so the only thing you need to think about is getting car insurance coverage, which confuses a lot more people than just you, Anthony. On one hand, everyone wants to protect their car, but that protection needs to be taken down a notch or two with used car insurance.
Every state except New Hampshire makes you get some kind of car insurance, usually just the basic liability.This coverage takes care of the other driver and their car insurance claims if you cause an accident, but the amount that the state makes you get normally isn’t enough to protect for real. If you want to stay on the safe side, I would get more liability than required. That goes even if you have the cheapest car in the world, and it goes even more so if you have a big, damage causing vehicle like an SUV.
When thinking about what kind of coverage you should get beyond just that, you have to take into account the cash amount that you paid for the car in the first place, and remember that you probably paid more than it is actually worth. If your car is worth than a thousand dollars, stick to the basic coverage. If it’s worth a little more, you should consider a little further and might decide to only get liability or to get a little more.
As someone who has had bad experiences with cash cars constantly breaking down, I suggest that for an older car you get mechanical breakdown coverage, since you normally don’t have the option of getting a guarantee. Not all car insurance companies offer this, but it is extremely useful. GEICO is one of the companies that does.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
Where Should I Be Shopping For Car Insurance For The Best Rate?
Reader question:
What happens if my car insurance policy is canceled and nobody else wants to insure me?
Maggie
Good question.
You don’t have to worry. Even when most car insurance companies won’t give you a policy, there is still a chance that some company might. There are companies that work solely with high risk drivers. Before giving up hope, get free auto insurance quotes online and shop around to see what all of the companies available have to offer.
If you still can’t find anyone to insure you under a policy, it might be time to join your state’s assigned risk car insurance pool. This pool randomly assigns you to one of the member companies which is then required to take you on as a customer. The rates for being part of an assigned risk pool are a lot higher than others.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
How Does A Speeding Ticket Causing My Car Insurance Price Increase?
Reader question:
If I get a speeding ticket, for how long will it make my car insurance price higher?
Orlando
Good question.
It actually depends a lot on where you are located and what car insurance company you are with. Many states have a kind of point system, where you gain points for every offense that you commit, from driving uninsured to going over the speed limit. In these states, offenses start to fall off after a year of driving clean, and you will lose points this way. So, once the points that you gained from a ticket have been lost, you will no longer be charged higher rates for them.
In other states, especially for a serious offense like a second speeding ticket, you might have to get SR 22 car insurance. If you get this, it will usually stay with you for three years, but your rates might be affected for five.
cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
Why Does My Car Insurance Policy Show As Non Renewal?
Reader’s question:
What are the reasons for which an auto insurance company can not renew your policy?
Lily
Good question.
Non renewal is very different from cancellation in that it is much less serious. However, you don’t want to take your chances, and having your car insurance policy not renewed can still have a negative effect. Here are some reasons why it happens.
- The person who uses the car that it covered is not able to be covered by the company for a number of reasons.
- The person who uses the car that is covered is not able to drive it well for reasons of their mental or physical health, such as an elderly person who is almost blind.
There are many other reasons why a car insurance company might not renew your policy. Some are negative, such as that you have had too many moving traffic violations. Others might have nothing to do with you, such as that the car insurance company doesn’t do business in your area anymore.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
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