Many people are afraid to hire an attorney after a car accident because they think it will raise their insurance rates. This is simply not true. Your insurer is interested in how much money you’re going to cost them, so if your auto accident lawyer helps you win a lot of money, your rates may go up (temporarily). However, this is far more likely to happen if you have a history of accidents.
In most cases, however, hiring a car accident lawyer will lower your car insurance premiums in the long run by getting you out of the hole you’re in. If you have more than one at-fault accident on your record, and your insurance company cancels your policy as a result, it can be very difficult to find coverage from another insurer because many companies refuse to cover drivers with bad driving records.
Here are 4 tips for reducing car insurance costs after a car accident:
1. Contact Your Insurance Company.
As soon as possible, contact your insurance company and report the accident. They will likely ask for information about the drivers involved, including names and policies numbers. Insurance costs increase drastically after a car accident, even if you were not at fault.
Your insurance company will determine that your car is a “total loss” based on the repair costs exceeding a certain percentage of the car’s value. If this occurs, your insurance company may offer you the car’s actual cash value (ACV), instead of reimbursing you for your repairs.
Sometimes an insurance company will offer to pay less than what it actually costs to fix your car, or worse, claim that your car is a total loss when it can be repaired. In these instances, it is important to hire a car accident lawyer who can help you get the money you need and deserve for your repairs.
2. Understand Your Insurance and Your Coverage
Not all car insurance is made equal. If you want to keep your insurance premiums low, it’s important that you know what kind of coverage you have and what kind of coverage will result in higher premiums. For example, if someone hits your car while it’s parked on the side of the road, comprehensive car insurance will cover these damages but liability insurance won’t.
3. Don’t Jump To The Conclusion That Your Rates Will Go Up.
Many people assume that the insurance company will raise their rates after an accident, but that’s not always true. In fact, if you have a good driving record and have never been involved in any accidents, the insurance company might not raise your rates at all.
If it does, there’s usually only a small increase. To find out for sure, you’ll need to contact your insurance company and ask about your current policy’s specifics.
4. Hire a Car Accident Lawyer
Car insurance companies make their money by charging policyholders premiums and avoiding paying out on claims when they can. Insurance adjusters are trained to spot issues with claims that they can use to deny or reduce the amount they have to pay out – and they often do so without blinking an eye, even if doing so breaks the law.
This is where counseling from a car accident lawyer like our friends at Tuttle Law P.A. comes in handy. A good car accident lawyer will make sure that you get a fair settlement – or take your case to court if the insurance company won’t pay up.
