Seven Steps to Filing Your Car Insurance ClaimWritten by Jon Register
Having even a teeny-tiny car accident can be one of life's least enjoyable moments. However, accidents happen, and sooner or later, we all have experience of meeting one of our fellow road travelers up close and personal. Using following seven steps to filing your claim will help you get over this speed bump as smoothly as possible. Step 1: Understand your policy Before a loss, sit down and carefully read your insurance policy. Call your agent or company if you have any questions about what is or is not covered. Step 2: Exchange information If you are involved in an accident, get other driver's name, address, phone number, insurance carrier, and insurer's phone number. Be prepared to give same information about yourself to other driver. You can find insurers' telephone numbers on proof-of-insurance cards that should be carried on your person when operating a motor vehicle. Step 3: Identify witnesses Ask witnesses to accident for their names and phone numbers in case their account of accident is needed. Step 4: File an accident report Contact local law enforcement officers to have an accident report prepared. If law enforcement is not reachable, accident reports and detailed instructions are available at all police departments, sheriff's offices, your local Department of Motor Vehicles office, and on your local Department of Motor Vehicles' web site. Step 5: Notify your insurer Contact your insurance company about accident as soon as possible. An insurance adjuster will review accident report to determine who caused accident. If accident was not your fault, you can have either your insurance company or at-fault driver's insurance company handle repair or replacement of your vehicle. If you use other driver's company, you will not have a claim on your automobile policy and you will not have to pay a deductible.
| | Factors That Affect Your Car Insurance PremiumWritten by Jon Register
Many factors affect premium you will pay for auto insurance. Each is a statistically based risk for a specific population. The higher risk associated with a person, more he or she is likely to pay for coverage. We have elaborated on some of risk factors below, but there are numerous others, including driver's gender, miles driven per year, purpose for using vehicle (commuting to work, using for work, leisure only), etc. Factors you CANNOT easily change that affect your car insurance rates: . Age Statistically, drivers under age of 25 are at greater risk of being in an accident than those over age 25. Drivers between ages of 50 and 65 generally have safest records. . Gender Women are statistically safer drivers. . Marital Status A married person will pay less than a single person with an identical driving record. Factors you CAN change that affect your car insurance rates . Geography Where you live makes a difference. Folks living in areas with little or no traffic are likely to spend less on insurance than those living in congested cities or suburbs because areas with a lot of traffic tend to see more accidents. Some neighborhoods also have a higher rate of vehicle thefts, which can result in a higher premium. . Driving Violations Having an accident or moving violations on your record (speeding tickets, DWI, reckless driving, etc.) put you at a higher risk for accidents and will likely mean a higher premium. Some insurance companies will penalize you for your record for as many as five years from when incident occurred. However, keep in mind, as your record improves, your premium will get lower. . Vehicle Type El cheapo car will cost less to insure than that status symbol SUV sitting on 24" rims baby.
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