The Types of Auto Accidents Most Likely to Raise Your Insurance Rates
An auto accident can hurt you and not just in terms of physical damage to your vehicle and bodily injury. Many times, even after a minor ‘fender bender,’ you may realize your auto insurance rates have increased, sometimes drastically. Certain types of car accidents are more prone to increase insurance rates than others, and it is important to know what insurance companies look for when making that determination.
Factors Considered
When it comes to making a determination on how your insurance rates will be affected following a car accident, insurance providers will look to many different factors surrounding the driver’s background. These factors include the person’s driving record and whether other claims have been made in the past. In terms of claims, normally an accident that has a claim of at least $500 is considered a chargeable accident. Some look at $750 as a threshold amount in terms of damages. Insurance companies will also review police reports after an accident to determine exactly what happened, the circumstances surrounding the accident, what caused it, and assess fault. All of these factors will be considered when making a determination on rates.
Accidents Resulting in Injuries
If the car accident resulted in an injury to someone else, the insurance company will end up paying for the costs, such as property damage, loss of wages, past and future medical expenses for whoever was injured, etc. Because the costs associated go up when another person is injured, the insurance company may end up increasing your insurance rates to off-set their losses.
Accident Involving Moving Violations
Many times, the police will issue moving violations if a driver broke a traffic law, and an accident resulted because of the violation. If the driver not only was involved in an accident, but also received a ticket because of his or her actions led to the accident, chances are the insurance company will increase the person’s car insurance rates. The more dangerous the behavior is that led to the moving violation and the accident, the higher the increase will be.
When It Is Your Fault
If the car accident is the fault of the policyholder, many times the person’s insurance rates will go up. In fact, the driver who ends up being the one determined to be at fault is normally the person who walks away with the rate increase. If the driver who is at fault acted in a way that was considered to be reckless, the insurance company may view the driver as a liability and penalize him or her for the actions that led to the accident by increasing their insurance rates.
No Rate Increase
In many situations, rates do not have to go up at all if the driver was not at fault for the accident, and their damages were covered by the other driver’s insurance company for injuries sustained.
FREE CONSULTATION WITH A MIAMI AUTO ACCIDENT ATTORNEY
If you have been injured in a motor vehicle accident in Florida, it is very important to consult with an experienced Miami auto accident attorney immediately. Florida auto accident victims have only 14 days to seek initial medical attention to receive insurance benefits after an accident, so it is important you are seen by a doctor as soon as possible following the accident. Spencer Aronfeld is a Board Certified Trial Lawyer, and he and the lawyers at Aronfeld Trial Lawyers understand Florida’s complex personal injury laws and since 1991 we have fought hard to protect the legal rights of the injured and their families- and hold auto insurers like State Farm, Allstate, Progressive, GEICO and others accountable for the pain and suffering, medical expenses, lost wages and other damages suffered by our clients. Contact us today and speak with an experienced Miami auto accident attorney toll free 1-866-597-4529, local 305-441-0440, or by email. We offer a free initial consultation at your home, office, hotel or hospital. Call us today, we are ready to help.