File car insurance claim
Reader question:
How do I know if I should file a car insurance claim or not?
Montgomery
Good question.
There are plenty of different situations in which the answer to that question would be different, but I will offer a couple. None of them are absolute, as every incident has its own variations so you should largely go with your gut feeling on the situation and just use these as guidelines.
- You did it.
Anytime that a car accident was your fault, it is time to file a car accident insurance claim. It doesn’t matter if there was hardly any damage done to the other person’s car, because you never know what will happen later. They might end up calling up the car insurance company and saying that their entire front end was smashed and they got whiplash, and how can you hide it when you never said anything? Letting your car insurance company know first is the best way both to avoid fraudulent claims as well as to be in the honest group in case a small accident produces medical problems a few days after the fact.
- They did it.
Sometimes when you get into a car insurance accident that isn’t huge, and it was somebody else’s fault, they might beg you to let them pay you the money to fix your car instead of you reporting them and filing a claim. You might want to indulge in this out of the goodness of your heart, but it isn’t wise. They might not do as they say, and if so it’s best to let your car insurance company know.
- You did it to yourself.
Sometimes you get into one of those stupid car accidents that you have to bang yourself in the head for, like when you are backing out of your driveway a little too fast and you ream your mailbox. In most cases, this would only causes some superficial damage and you would be able to pay out of pocket, but you know those people with the brick mailboxes… Anyway, when you are in a collision that involves only you, yourself, and your own property then there is no reason to report it unless the amount you would need to pay for repairs is more than your deductible.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
Commercial car insurance cargo
If you have a commercial truck that needs to be covered by commercial car insurance, what tells you how much you need to get? It’s not as easy to decide as it is with your daily use car insurance, so more thought needs to be put into it for this situation. Considering the use of commercial trucks, it’s usually a good idea to get more than the state’s minimum required coverage. Much more.
You have to get commercial truck insurance even if you aren’t the one driving it around. So long as it has your name registered to it, you are the one responsible for the commercial car insurance premium. It needs to be covered for if there is an accident and someone’s property gets damaged or they get hurt. A lot of the times, the company that provides the equipment will give this type of coverage for you, which takes some of the pressure off of you, but you still need to get the rest.
The first type of commercial truck coverage that you need to consider getting is physical damage coverage. If you are leasing the truck, then you might already have this as required by the financer. It’s kind of like collision coverage for your average vehicle, and what it does is cover any damages made to the actual truck or the trailer in the event of an automobile accidents. The commercial truck insurance premiums for this kind of coverage are based on an amount of the vehicle’s market value.
One of the most important types of coverage is cargo coverage. This takes car of anything that happens to the cargo you are toting as the commercial truck driver, so long as it is not due to negligence on your part (like leaving it unlocked while you go into a hotel to sleep). Normally, there’s only a certain dollar amount that you can get covered for here.
Another part of cargo coverage is terminal coverage. This takes car of the cargo whenever it is parked getting loaded or unloaded at its point of embarking or its destination. Normally, the longest period the cargo can be covered by terminal coverage is for three days at a time.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
Car insurance claim handling
Reader question:
I am not satisfied with my car insurance claim handling. What do I do?
Jairo
Thanks for asking.
Your car insurance claim handling is extremely important because of the amount of money that it involves and also its effect on your future. The number one thing you need to think about is that if you have a problem with the process, do not back down, do not cower and give in. If you are in the right and your car insurance company does not see that, there are ways to solve it.
- Just start off by telling your car insurance agent about it. Sometimes it is really an innocent mistake that you are dealing with and a quick phone call can solve it all. If this doesn’t work, most car insurance company have a complaint line. And if that doesn’t worth either, you should get in touch with whoever is at the top of the claim’s department.
- You can just complain about something without evidence to back up your side. Keep track of the whole claims process and your dealings with the car insurance company. If you think that they are not giving you the right adjustment amount, then you need to have documentation to make you up. Write a letter with your name, claim number and phone number, with your documentation as well.
- Read your policy. If things get out of hand you might need to consider getting your claim arbitrated or mediated. Almost all companies offer this option, but always check your car insurance policy first.
- Complain to your state’s department of insurance. Normally you can call it in or fill out a form on their website. You will need supporting documents for this, too.
- Get in tough with an arbitrator. Check out what is recommended by the American Arbitration Association to choose the best one.
- Get a lawyer. Normally your state’s bar will be able to give you a recommendation for the best attorney to deal with a car accident claim.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
Best honesty car insurance policy
Reader question:
I’m going to move to a new car insurance company, but with the one I have now I have a history of at fault claims. Do I need to reveal this information to my new car insurance company?
Molly
Yes.
There might be serious consequences that you have to face when you go looking for a new car insurance company after a bad history, but unfortunately you just have to deal with them. It is possible that if you tell all of your claims history up front to your new car insurance company then you will have to pay higher car insurance premiums, or worse, they won’t even let you get a car insurance policy with them at all, but it’s even worse if you don’t tell the truth. Car insurance companies are allowed to cancel your policy at any time if they find out you gave them bad information, so even if you get a short period of cheap car insurance, once you’re found out you’re kicked out and that information will be on your report for other companies to see. This is also the case even if you just forget to mention something. If you do forget something, call as soon as possible to correct it before they find it themselves.
Here are the things that you have to tell them about:
- any previous claims, at fault or no
- any traffic violations
It isn’t a rare event that people don’t give the whole truth on their car insurance form; in fact, 20% of policy holders leave at least one thing out. Usually, it’s because they forgot. Occasionally, it’s because they don’t know what they need to tell because the agent doesn’t guide them right. Whatever the case, you can get in trouble for it.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
Uninsured Motorist Car Insurance Coverage
Reader question:
How can I cover myself for the possibility of being the victim of an uninsured driver in an accident?
Melinda
Good quesion.
In order to do this, you will need to buy uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage for your car insurance policy. This will cover you if you get into an accident with someone who does not have any or does not have enough car insurance coverage. Quite a few states actually include this type of coverage in their minimum coverage requirement, so you have to have it anyway.
Most of the time, the coverage that comes included here is for injury liability. However, depending on where you are you might also be able to get property damage coverage for your uninsured coverage part of your policy. If you do not have this type of coverage and you are involved in a crash with an uninsured driver, then your collision will have to pay for the damages, or you will have to go after the person with a lawsuit.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
Mom & Pop Car Insurance Coverage
Reader question:
If I’m going to drive my mom’s car, do I need to be added to her car insurance coverage?
Grace
You should be.
While it isn’t always necessary to be added to your parent’s car insurance coverage, it is a good idea. Anybody who lives in the house with your mom, as well as any friends she might let borrow the car, are covered by her car insurance policy regardless. However, if she has a driving age teenager in the house who does not have her own car insurance policy, and you get into a wreck and a claim has to be filed, you guys might not get covered because you were misrepresenting by keeping your name off of the insurance just to keep the price down.
It is a little more expensive to insure a teenager, but if you are going to be driving your mom’s car, then it is definitely something that needs to be done.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
Car insurance immigration
Reader question:
A few months ago I came to the U.S. from Belarus. Over there, I had a great driving record, so why is it that over here I’m paying so much for car insurance rates?
M.
Sorry to hear that.
Unfortunately, driving records don’t carry over from one country to the next, so when you moved to the United States, even though you had a good record over there, over here it was like you were starting all over again. While you don’t have to suffer the same rate problems as do teenagers and people with bad driving records, it’s still like being someone with no credit trying to get a car. You’re going to end up paying more.
It normally takes about three years to get it set that you have a good driving record over here or a bad one, so within that time you should see a significant drop in your rates and you might even qualify for some good discounts.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
Auto insurance liability
Reader question:
In what state do you have to have auto insurance liability coverage?
Manny
Easy to answer.
Almost all states require you to have some type of auto insurance liability, although the amount of coverage required does vary. Another option is often to get a surety bond or get self insured. However, these options usually cost tens of thousands of dollars, so your average driver will find it much cheaper to just get insured through a regular car insurance policy.
All you need to do to find out what kind of car insurance your state requires, is go to your state’s department of insurance website, drop by their office, or call them up.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
Auto insurance claim
Reader question:
If I get into a accident, what do I do?
Louis
Good question.
First off, make sure you tell your auto insurance company immediately, especially if another person was involved and most definitely if there were injuries. When you inform the company, you need to be positive that you have the information that you need, such as the police report that was filed at the scene, and the auto insurance claim information from the other driver. You may be wary to report the accident if the damages were small, but you don’t have to file an auto insurance claim every time you report an accident. It’s just a report.
If you can, always keep a camera in your car, a throw away one, so that you can take pictures in case you get into an accident. Lots of pictures can help in clearing up any questions that later come up.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
Best Visa Car Insurance
Filed under: Free insurance quotes, Insurance companies
Reader question:
I’m in the U.S. on a six month tourist visa, and I intend to be renting a car and doing a lot of driving while I’m here. Can I get a car insurance policy?
Juan
Sure.
It is harder to find a car insurance company that will give you a policy if you only have an international driver’s license, but it is possible. One thing that you need to be ready for is that the car insurance rates will be pretty high, though. Many car insurance companies do need you to have a state driver’s license in order to get a car insurance policy, so it will be difficult.
One company that you might want to look into is AIG auto insurance. Not only do they take your international driver’s license, but another thing they do is that they actually take into account your driving record in your home country. So if you have one near where you’re staying, definitely look into it, or get free auto insurance quotes online.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
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