The insurance claims game If the claim is based on the damage you caused, your rates will almost certainly increase. On the other hand, if you're not at fault, your rates may or may not increase. Auto insurance and other types of insurance aren't related to coverage for your home or business, so you don't have to worry that a security blow will increase your costs, at least for your property. Auto insurance policies operate on a completely different scale and count other factors in determining your risk and rate.
This means that claims made on auto policies will only affect your car rates, while claims about home or commercial property property insurance may affect those rates and coverage options. Generally speaking, a statement won't have a big impact on your rates, unless it's a significant dollar value. Many business owners assume that their commercial property insurance covers their office for damage caused by floods, earthquakes, and other natural disasters. The amount the at-fault driver's insurance provider will pay depends on the limits of the driver's policy and their state.
For example, you can check what discounts your insurance company offers, such as a discount for paying the full price or for driving defensively. It's not uncommon for these unexpected events to cause an insurer to reconsider its policy coverage for a region, especially if, as a result, a large number of claims were filed. But if you're hit by an uninsured driver or are the victim of a hit and run, your policy could cover the damage depending on the types of coverage you have. Second, there's a chance that filing a claim may make you look more like an insurance risk, a situation that may affect your insurance rates and your insurability for the future.
On the other hand, if you flee or cause an accident due to a DUI, the accident could remain on your insurance record for up to 10 years or more. For example, California and Oklahoma don't allow insurers to raise rates after no-fault accidents. After that period, the accident no longer appears in the driver's record for insurance purposes and will not directly affect car insurance premiums. Since estimates from the auto insurance industry show that the average driver files a car accident claim approximately once every 18 years, the premiums of loyal customers may never be affected by an accident with Geico.
In addition to that, there is the entire process of filing a claim: the phone calls, the documentation, the proof of the loss to the insurer, and everything else. The exact amount a driver's insurance increases after an accident depends on several factors, such as the driver's insurance company, the state, the extent of the damage, and who was at fault. Hard markets are triggered by rising claim costs for insurers, increased litigation, increased weather-related claims, and several others. If you admit fault for an accident, you may breach your contract, which could result in the insurance company refusing a claim or cancel your coverage.
On average, a no-fault accident causes insurance costs to rise by approximately 12%, compared to 45% for a no-fault accident.
