Does my auto insurance premium go up when a accident is someone elses fault?
Question:
Answer:
Unfortunately yes it does depending on the insurance company. And none of them will give you a straight answer about it either. The ones that do will never admit it to keep you as a customer. Likewise, those companies that don't do it would rather not make that kind of promise. If they need to raise the rates they need an excuse to do it.
When I got a policy with Geico I initially got a quote that I was happy with. After I got my policy in the mail they sent me a questionaire. One of the questions was, "were you in an accident in the last 3 years regardless of fault". And I answered truthfully that I was broadsided while sitting at a traffic light. I figured that I would have to come clean and admit that I was in this accident because it was caused by another Geico customer. (They like to cross reference everything and ask you questions regardless of the relevance to your particular situation). When I got the next bill in the mail, I learned that my policy was an extra $26 a year. When I called to inquire about this, they told me that because of the accident I was considered a higher risk. Something about being on the road more than an average number of hours a day is the reason why I got into the accident or something silly like that.. anyhow, it seems to be unfair that I that I was sitting at the traffic light minding my own business and my rates go up while the other idiots out there who drive recklessly never get caught.
If proven it was the other driver's fault, in most cases your premium does not change.
because sometimes they will put the driver who isn't at fault as a % of fault.
Usually your rates only go up if your company has to shell out any money!
The answer to this depends on too many factors. Insurance companies can't answer hypothetical questions. If you had an accident, they may be better able to tell you because they will know the potential payout, have access to your record, etc. All states vary, but just reporting the claim will not have an effect. A straight answer can't be given without all the facts, and many times people call insurance companies wanting to know "what if" and they can't answer "what if" because "what if" hasn't happened yet.
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