Reader’s Question:
I rear-ended another woman’s car in California. Her car only got a few dents and scratches. I am willing to pay the other driver for damages if it will guarantee that my car insurance rates won’t go up. But if it will, I will definitely change my insurer. Where can I get cheap car insurance quotes?
Heather
Burbank, CA
Keeping our insurance free of claims is one way of guaranteeing that our car insurance premiums do not increase substantially. However, there are cases where we really must consider filing for claims even if it means risk getting negative insurance points. Remember that calls made to our car insurance companies are recorded. Any inquiries on a possibility of filing for claims may be put against your insurance record.
When in an accident in which you are found liable and you decide to pay off the other driver for damages, this move could be considered viable so long as you can afford it without having to file for bankruptcy later. However, you should examine the situation first. Are you sure that the accident was not orchestrated? There are a lot of deceitful individuals out there looking to take advantage of prudent drivers. And have you reported the incident to the police? California requires that all traffic mishap particularly those that have resulted in damages of $500 or more, need to be reported. If you did report the incident, this will still go to your driving record. This means then that your car insurance may still go up based on the incident even if you just agreed to pay off the other driver for damages her car sustained.
Remember that car insurance companies have different rating systems. So the best way to insure that you are getting the most competitive rates is by researching on the Internet for cheap car insurance quotes.
Tags: auto insurance claims, auto insurance premium, car insurance quotes, car insurance rate, cheap auto insurance