Do I Have To Report Fender Benders To My Insurance Company?
Have you ever had a little fender bender and decided not to file a claim out of fear that your insurance premiums would rise? You are not the first driver to be in this position. As a personal injury attorney I see this quite a bit. A lot of people would prefer to just pay for the damages out of pocket and be done with it all. Usually though they're only considering the following things:1)How much their premiums will go up. This is something you really should be familiar with BEFORE you purchase your insurance policy, let alone file a claim. Although you may have initially been given a cheap deal most companies will hike up your premiums if you're found at fault in an accident.
2)Who was at fault? More than one party can be at fault in an accident, so it isn't just who caused the crash. Fault can be determined several different ways. Your premiums are almost certain to rise if you are found to be at fault for an accident.
You may think it's a good idea not to report accidents to your insurance company based on what is mentioned above. If the damage seems that it's going to be less than your deductible and the police aren't involved this can often times be the case. If a police report is filed though, your insurance carrier is probably going to find out anyway. There are a lot of insurance policies that state the policy holder must promptly report any accident. You may not even have a choice!
Another thing to consider when deciding whether or not to report an accident is that injuries sometimes won't manifest themselves for weeks after an accident, causing long term or even permanent physical damage. If you do end having injuries develop you may ruin your claim by not reporting the accident. If you injured someone else, you could find yourself being sued, and you won't have the insurance company to support you. This scenario could end up costing you way more in time and money than you would ever pay in increased insurance premiums. This is why it's important to file a police report. It allows there to be an accurate record if anyone files a claim in the future. Considering all of this, it seems like a no brainer that you should report auto accidents. But as you're aware, dealing with insurance adjusters can be difficult. Every situation is different, speak with an experienced auto accident attorney and see what they have to say if you're deciding whether or not to report an accident. It never hurts to be informed.
Sumber : babab.net