If you\u2019re involved in a car accident, do not call your car insurance company. Immediately dial 911 instead.<\/strong> This is for two reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, it gets the ambulance and medical care to the scene as soon as possible in case anyone is injured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Second, it gets the police on the scene so that you can file an accident report as soon as possible. This is particularly important because the police and insurance company will use the report to determine fault later on. The sooner you file the report, the more detailed and accurate it will be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember that every driver in almost every state is required to have liability insurance<\/a> or something similar to it. Each state dictates the minimum coverage required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re involved in a car accident, then your liability insurance covers bodily injury and property damage for the other driver, and the other driver\u2019s insurance covers bodily injury to you and property damage for your car. In some states, such as Florida, drivers carry personal injury protection (PIP) insurance, which covers their own medical costs in case of an accident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re assigned fault for a car accident, your insurance company must pay for the other driver\u2019s medical costs and damage repairs. They will consider you to be a riskier driver to cover and will charge you a higher liability insurance premium for the next period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019ve been involved in multiple at-fault accidents over a short period or if you\u2019re at fault for a particularly serious accident (for example, excessive speeding or felony DUI<\/a>), your insurance company can significantly increase your premium or even refuse to insure you<\/a> at all once your current policy is expired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even if it\u2019s determined that you\u2019re not at fault for a car accident, your liability insurance premium for the next coverage period may increase. Some insurance companies justify that drivers involved in accidents \u2014 regardless of whether or not they\u2019re at fault \u2014 are more likely to be involved in accidents in the future. Still, your premium would not increase as much as if you were found to be at fault for the accident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In some situations, the insurance company would not raise your premium at all. These include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember that you must keep your car insurance company updated on all accidents you\u2019ve been involved in, regardless of whether you were at fault or whether anyone filed an insurance claim. If the insurance company later finds out that you intentionally misled them, they can drop your coverage or even refuse to process a claim if you\u2019re involved in an accident!<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a lot of cases, both drivers contribute in some way to the accident. When this happens, both drivers are assigned a percentage of the fault, and this affects how much money each car insurance company needs to pay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In some states (for example, Arizona, California<\/a>, Florida, New Mexico, New York, and Washington State), costs are divided in the same way that fault is. For example, if you were found to be 40% at fault for an accident, your insurance company would pay 40% of the other driver\u2019s medical and car repair bills. The other driver\u2019s insurance company would pay for 60% of your medical and car repair bills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, in other states (Colorado, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, and Texas), you can claim accident costs only if you\u2019re less than 50% or 51% at fault. For example, in the same accident where you were found to be 40% at fault, the other driver\u2019s insurance company would still cover 60% of your medical and car repair bills. However, the other driver wouldn\u2019t be able to collect anything from your car insurance company because they were over 50% at fault.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a few states (for example, Virginia and Washington, D.C.), you cannot claim anything if you\u2019re assigned any percentage of fault. This means that if you\u2019re found to be even just 10% at fault for an accident, you don\u2019t collect any money from the other driver\u2019s insurance company. In this case, both you and the driver must pay your own medical and car repair bills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because partial fault can reduce the amount of money, your car insurance company needs to pay out after an accident. Being assigned partial fault instead of fully at fault is one way to keep your premium from increasing too much. However, keep in mind that the insurance company will still consider you a riskier driver even if you\u2019re only partially to blame for an accident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have a collision insurance policy<\/a>, you may find that it\u2019s better to file a claim with the collision insurance company, at least initially.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It can take weeks or even months for car insurance companies to agree on fault, especially if courts are involved. In the meantime, if you want to get back on the road, you\u2019re stuck paying for the car repairs yourself and hoping you can get reimbursed later on if you\u2019re not found to be completely at fault. If you have a collision insurance policy, you can file a claim and get reimbursed up to the policy limit (minus the deductible).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keep in mind that when you make a claim with your collision insurance policy, it\u2019s likely your collision insurance premium for the next period will increase. Your premium can come back down after a few years without any further claims as with liability insurance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After investigating the scene of an accident, the police officer may issue a ticket to one or both drivers for actions related to the accident \u2014 for example, speeding, failing to give the right of way, or making an illegal turn. Keep in mind that this is separate from determining fault, so you may get a ticket even if it\u2019s later decided that you\u2019re not at fault for the accident. If this happens to you, then your car insurance premium may go up because of the recent ticket on your driving record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like other minor traffic violations, it\u2019s sometimes possible to have the violation removed from your driving record if you fulfill specific requirements. This means that it would not affect your insurance premium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re involved in an at-fault accident, your insurance company will reflect this when they send you a quote to renew your insurance for the next coverage period. Remember that an insurance policy is a contract with a start and end date. As long as you pay the agreed policy premium and keep a valid license, the insurance company must cover you until the policy expires. Insurance companies also cannot change your premium in the middle of your coverage period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Typically, car insurance companies will consider the last three to five years of a driver\u2019s history when determining car insurance premiums. However, some major incidents \u2014 for example, felony DUI violations \u2014 are considered for far longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re involved in an at-fault car accident, and your insurance premiums go up, you might be feeling trapped into higher rates. Or you might think that no other car insurance company will want to insure you anymore. This isn\u2019t true! Regardless of your driving history, you always have the option to shop for low-cost auto<\/a> insurance quotes. Getting an online quote<\/a> is quick and simple, though speaking with an expert on the phone or in-person<\/a> is always an option too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\nLiability Insurance and Car Accidents<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
If You\u2019re at Fault<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
If You\u2019re Not at Fault<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
If You\u2019re Partially at Fault<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How Partial Fault Affects Car Insurance<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Collision Insurance<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nTraffic Violations Still Affect Your Insurance Premium<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
When to Expect Your Car Insurance to Go Up<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How Long Higher Premiums Will Last<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
If the Cost of Your Car Insurance Goes Up, Look Around<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n