G****u
发帖数: 26 | 5 补充一个信息：
How Accidents Affect Your Car Insurance Premiums
By Allison Bisbey-Colter
It can happen in the blink of an eye: you spill hot coffee on your lap, or
glance in the rear-view mirror to see why the kids are fighting and don’t
have enough time to react when the car in front of you slams on its brakes.
Once the shock wears off and you determine that everyone is OK, your next
thought is likely to be, “How will this affect my insurance premium?”
Practices vary from one insurance company to another, but in general your
premium will rise by a specific percentage for each chargeable claim -- ones
the insurer considers primarily your fault.
Depending on the insurer, at-fault accidents can remain on your "insurance
record" for six to 48 months and could mean that you are paying a higher
premium during that time, says Madelyn H. Flannagan, vice president for
education and research at the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of
America, Inc., a trade group.
Even worse, if you have three or more at-fault accidents or moving
violations within a 24-36 month period, your insurance company may choose
not to renew your policy.
The penalties vary from one insurer to the next. Here’s what happens at
State Farm: At one extreme, if you’ve gone at least 10 years without a
chargeable claim, there’s absolutely no effect on your premium, according
to spokesman Dick Leudke.
At the other extreme, if you have an accident within the first year of your
policy, you can can expect to pay a higher premium when it comes time to
renew the policy. Leudke says the cost of liability insurance, which
typically represents 40 percent of your premium, will go up, as will the
cost of personal injury coverage and collision, which covers the damage to
your car.
The first time, the cost of all three types of coverage will go up 10
percent; the second time an additional 30 percent; and the third time an
additional 50 percent. So after the third accident the cumulative increase
in the cost of liability, personal injury and collision insurance will be 90
percent.
Leudke says a chargeable claim won’t have any impact on the cost of
comprehensive coverage, which typically represents 15 percent of your total
premium and covers things like theft, weather, or hitting deer, which have
little or nothing to do with your driving.
To completely go away you’d have to go 10 years without another chargeable
claim. But some would come down after eight years.
Of course, your insurer can’t raise your premium if you don’t report the
accident and submit a claim. If the damage is relatively limited, you may
think you’re better off paying for it out of your own pocket. However, be
aware that if you do so, you are taking a risk: the other driver may still
decide to sue you, in which case your failure to report the accident might
cause your insurer to refuse to honor the policy, according to information
posted on the website of the Insurance Information Institute.
【在 G****u 的大作中提到】
: 恩， 我考虑了还是自己出钱算了。
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