Finding cheap car insurance is tough as it is, but if you’ve recently been in an accident, it’s even harder. Insurance companies base their price of the likelihood that you’ll make a claim and if you’ve been in an accident, that makes you more of a risk in their eyes. That means they’ll probably put the price up by quite a bit when it comes time to renew your policy. Even if you go with another company, that accident will still be on your record and it’ll affect the price. However, the cost of insurance isn’t guaranteed to shoot up after an accident as long as you take the right steps in the immediate aftermath. Here’s how to stop your car insurance going up after an accident.
Avoid Making A Claim
The whole point of having insurance is so you can cover the cost of repairs on the car if you need them. After an accident, your first instinct is probably to make a claim on your insurance, but it’s not always the best option. If the accident was only minor and you’ve just got a few small dents and scratches, it might be cheaper to just pay for the repairs out of your own pocket rather than claiming on insurance and then paying an increased price for your policy next year.
If the accident wasn’t your fault, you might be able to get the other driver to pay for the repairs if you claim compensation from them. People like auto accident attorney Bill Hurst can help you put together a case and claim some damages from the other driver. Just make sure that you’re documenting any damage to the vehicle and any injuries that you have right away, they’ll help your case later on.
Accident Forgiveness Clause
Insurers know that accidents do happen sometimes and they’re not always the drivers fault. Obviously, if you’re having an accident on a regular basis, there’s a problem there. But if it’s your first offence, some insurers will be understanding. A lot of policies have an accident forgiveness clause that lets off drivers if it’s their first accident and agrees not to raise their premium. When you speak with your insurer after the accident, ask them about it and see whether they’ll give you a free pass this time.
Take A Driving Class
When you have an accident, your insurer will begin to call your driving ability into question. There are a lot of bad driving habits that cause insurance to go up or make it harder to claim so if you want to pay less for insurance, especially after an accident, you need to prove to your insurer that you’re trustworthy on the road. The best way to do this is to take another driving class. Do a few more lessons and just refresh your memory on some of the rules of the road. Then go to your insurer and let them know that you’ve done these extra lessons. Hopefully, they’ll see that you’re trying to improve your driving and your policy price will reflect that.
Your insurance is likely to increase a bit if you’re in an accident but you can avoid paying a massive premium if you take these steps.
