car accident claim or not to claim?

aggi

hi,
after a bit of advice.
got hit by car or cross road today afternoon. got scared but just few scratches and it looks like bumper just bounced out. it looks like nothing major.
now shall i claim from insurance (will my premium go up although not at fault?) or try to settle down private, if yes how?

thanks

Quentin

You need to inform your insurer of the incident (tell them you are reporting the incident "for info only" and are not wanting to make a claim at this stage.

If there is no dispute who is to blame (ie the other driver), then claim yourself directly off his insurer.

adamc260

Sadly you have to report it to your insurer anyway and yes... it probably will push your premium up! Stinks dont it

Stonk

adamc260 wrote: »

Sadly you have to report it to your insurer anyway and yes... it probably will push your premium up! Stinks dont it

I'm not denying it's true, but why does this have to be reported to the insurer?

If there's a rule that says any accident must be reported regardless of whether one intends to claim, then how is an "accident" defined? Where do they draw the line? Is a dent caused by the careless opening of a door of the car next to you in a car park an accident? What if it leaves a scratch, but not a dent? What if there's contact, but which doesn't even scratch? It's still an "accident", after all. I can't see how any rule would be workable in practice.

aggi

right, what can happen if i dont? it really seems just minor and honestly i prefer to leave it like that than pay £200 more on renewal

McKneff

So what can happen if you dont,

All insurers use a central data base, say 2 years down the line you insure your car.l Somewhere in the system it needs to be mended or you crash into someone, your car flags up as being repaired 2 years earlier,what, the insureres say, We werent aware of that, then of course they dont pay out. You have to pay out to the injured (or dead drivers family) loss of earnings, mending both cars, criminal
action for driving a car without insurance, you will be bankrupt, you will lose your house. And you will never get insurance without a major struggle again.

And theres probably a lot more than that. Dont not inform them.

And by the way, not all insurance companies raise your premiums, mine didnt when someone hit me last year, Im with the Coop.

Stonk

aggi wrote: »

right, what can happen if i dont?

I suggest you read your policy T&C's, to see if it needs reporting. Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't. By asking the above question, you have opened the floodgates for indignant holier-than-thou replies implying that you are considering committing fraud, all from people who do not have access to your T&C's and who therefore don't know for sure what your responsibilities actually are.

EDIT: Wow, it started before I even finished writing.

McKneff

Its all in your terms and conditions anyway so if you dont you will be breaking your contract.

cajef

Any incident involving a third party must be reported to your insurance company in case they make a claim against you, they may say at the time that it was not your fault but then decide to change their story and claim for damages or injury such as whiplash, failure to disclose an accident may invalidate your policy in which case you may have difficulty find insurance cover with any other company.

adamc260

Stonk wrote: »

I'm not denying it's true, but why does this have to be reported to the insurer?

If there's a rule that says any accident must be reported regardless of whether one intends to claim, then how is an "accident" defined? Where do they draw the line? Is a dent caused by the careless opening of a door of the car next to you in a car park an accident? What if it leaves a scratch, but not a dent? What if there's contact, but which doesn't even scratch? It's still an "accident", after all. I can't see how any rule would be workable in practice.

Read your policy booklet

Taking a small sample from some of the countries largest insurers.. they state the following:

Aviva:
"please report all accidents to us immediately
so we can tell you what to do next and help
resolve any claim on your behalf.
- immediate claim reporting also allows us to
manage our costs which helps keep
premiums down."

Direct Line:
"You must tell us about the following: accidents, thefts or losses (whether covered by insurance or not and regardless of blame)

Admiral:
"ALL ACCIDENTS MUST BE REPORTED WITHIN 48 HOURS,
EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT CLAIMING YOURSELF."

esure:
"You must tell us immediately you become aware of any insurance-related incident, such as an accident,
theft, fire or water damage, which may or may not give rise to a claim. If you do not report an insurance-related incident to us as soon as you become aware of it and this leads
to a claim under your policy, we may incur additional costs and legal fees as a result. We may then seek
reimbursement of those additional costs directly from you."

Moreth>n:
"You must call our Claims Helpline on xxxx xxx xxx (open 24 hours) as soon as possible, even if you do not
plan to make a claim. We may send you an Accident Report form and tell you what to do next."

Just a few reasons there?

lisyloo

right, what can happen if i dont? it really seems just minor

You could get a claim turned down in future, cancelled insurance.
Then you have to declare the cancellation forever which will make it expensive/difficult to get insurance.
Worst case you could have a large claim agasint you which could bankrupt you if your insurer sues you.

It may seem minor now, but what if the other party then say it was your fault, they have witnesses (liars) and they want to claim for whiplash??

I would be wary of going private.
They have 3 years to claim for personal injury.

As others have said don't be tempted to NOT declare it.
I've had a fault accident and I think it put my premium up about £20 and that was my fault as well.
Perhaps it won't be as bad as you think, but you could easily check by doing quotes.
Perhaps you should check quotes to put your mind at rest about the loading.