Car accident question

lisyloo

If that's the norm how do people know their premium hasn't increased due to a non fault claim?

Hi Gordikin,

You can go onto a comparison site and put it (for exmaple) 0 claims/accidents/losses/incidents and then edit and put in 1 claim (or whatever the figures are).

If the qouted premiums do not increase and that was the ONLY thing you edited then you can tell your premium has not increased.
If it has increased then obviously you can see what the difference is.

Doesn't everyone play around like this?
I always want to check whether to buy protected NCD, what mileage to put in, whether it's worth putting my car in the gargage every night, whether I want class 1 etc.
So I'm always playing around with quotes to get the best combination.
Note I'm not talking about lying, but there are some possibilities of changing my behaviour or cover (like not usingthe car for business trips or putting it in the gargage etc.).

lisyloo

Alli - You legally have up to 3 years to claim for personal injury and 6 for property damage, however it looks a lot more credible and evidence and memories are a lot fresher if you put in a claim early. 3 weeks isn't too much of an issue, but if you leave it a long time it might trigger doubts.
With injuries please bear in mind that the effects are not always known straightaway and sometimes it takes a while to assess the long term consequence, hence payout can take a while.

There are pros and cons of using your own insurer versus going direct.

If you go direct you will have not have "fault" claim on your insurance and you will not lose NCB. You will have to declare the accident to insurers, usually for the next 3 years, but you still save NCB and excess.
You will have to deal with the other insurer yourself and it might take time for liability to bee agreed and repairs to be sorted.
Clearly the time is a big issue if a car is off the road, but if it's driveable and safe then it's less of an issue.

If you go through your own insurance, you lose NCB, excess and temporarily until money is recovered the claims counts as a "fault" claim. This doesn't mean it's your fault but simply that your insurer has to pay. Eventually that will get corected but you may need to renew your insurance whilst the "fault" calim is on your record.
Pros of coing through your insurance are that they will sort out everything swifty with no wait for liability to be agreed.

My husband went direct to my insurer before when I hit his car and it was dealt with very swiftly. However obviously in this situation he had complete co-operation from the 3rd party (as it was his wife)

It really is your decision as to whether you need the car fixed real quick, whether the other party is co-operating and how you feel about dealing with the insurer and chasing them. They may be really good and quick on the other hand you might need to chase them a lot. Are you able to make phone calls during the working day? or is it a real hassle.
Only you can decide really.

If you want to use your legal cover for injuries then bear in mind some of them can only be used in confunction with a motor claim. So if you really wanted to use your legal cover you might be fored to use your own insurer.
However there are plenty of "no win no fee" solicitors available so it deosn't force your hand.

Sorry it's not a stragiht answer but I hope that coveres a lot of the issues.

alliballi

Hi Lisyloo, good advice, though its not me thats asking the question its BikeBarbie I was just offering some advice, when it happened to me I claimed straight away and a bit like you I was lucky in that the the person who went into back of me was with same insurance company so maybe thats how I noticed no rise in insurance premiums or not loosing my NCB, just think its better to do it sooner than later as if it is other persons fault you dont pay out in excess and god knows what damage is lurking underneath, our car drove away but the damage to the back end on closer inspection was awful, its great though so many people help everyone offering advice and respect everybody's opinions, brill forum :j

Gordikin, its bad that you have an accident thats not your fault and it stays with you, especially some of the idiots zipping about out ther lol, thank you to for info :j

lisyloo

Rear enders are normally fairly straight forward about liability, so that's a good thing.
There tends not to be much dispute about who was to blames compared with other scenarios.

I agree with you 100% about a vehicle checked out.
Things can be broken/bent that you cannot see, but that can be done whichever insurer it is. In fact my husband had a choice of garges when he went direct and a hire care provided.

its bad that you have an accident thats not your fault and it stays with you, especially some of the idiots zipping about out ther

Yes and no.
I agree that anyone can have bad luck.
But should those of us who live in nice quiet areas, and always park on private property, subsidise those who travel in congested areas with idiots zipping about.

It's all about risks for the insurer, and if you have had a claim that's not your fault that is an indicator that you at higher risk of costing them more money in future.

It's not just about your driving, it's about where your travel and park your car.
Our car spends 99% of it's time either parked on our private driveway with no passing traffic or in private car parks with no public access, so we are not at risk very much (except from each other and have been penalised accordingly).

I'm not saying it's right, but there is some justification for the pricing model even if you don't agree with it.

Oldbiggles

You should report it to your insurance co. anyway.
I don't think you will be held responsible provided that you obtained all the relevant details from the other vehicles involved.
If you can prove that it wasn't your fault, you should not have to pay the excess as it is reclaimable from the driver behind you. Because if she could not stop in time to avoid the accident, she was driving too close.

daveyjp

As part of the claim for uninsured losses you should consider a claim for increased premiums as a result of you having to declare a non fault accident - insurers often do up your premium on declaration.

Say £50 a year for the five years you have to declare it (if you are a named driver on another insurance policy claim the same amount for this vehicle too).

If your insurance is due and the case is likely to drag on you should also claim the extra insurance premium you will have to pay whilst the claim remains unsettled, as until it is it is your fault.

alliballi

Afraid dont agree with it, especially with people who like to ride up your bum and then go into the back of you due to no care and attention, anyway not about my crash mine got sorted with no problems or additional pay outs, hope it works out ok Bike barbie and it all gets sorted, think the topic has been beaten to death now lol

lisyloo

Afraid dont agree with it

Neither do I as it happens.
But I believe it's always better to be informed in case you need to base a decision on that information.
3 years does actually come round pretty quickly, so you don't have to declare it forever.

lisyloo

If you can prove that it wasn't your fault, you should not have to pay the excess as it is reclaimable from the driver behind you.

Short term this isn't how it works.
You do have to pay the excess up front if you want repairs done immediately as usually liability is not agreed immediately.
Once it's agreed then yes, you claim the money back, but it does take time.
If you are prepared to wait for repairs until everything is agreed, then yes you can avoid paying the excess.

As part of the claim for uninsured losses you should consider a claim for increased premiums as a result of you having to declare a non fault accident

I stand to be corrected, but I've been told before that you cannot claim consequential lossses.

If your insurance is due and the case is likely to drag on you should also claim the extra insurance premium you will have to pay whilst the claim remains unsettled, as until it is it is your fault.

No you don't claim this off the other driver.
You get it back off your insurer once the claim is settled.
This is easier if it's the same insurer that you claimed with, but it doesn't have to be. you can still change insurers, but you will need a letter from one to the other.

bikebarbie

thanks all for your advice
I have booked an appointment tomorrow to get the car checked properly and get a written quotation. I will then inform the other party of the cost and if he agrees to pay out of insurance fine by me if not I will contact his insurance. I will keep you updated if you want to hear about it