The Rise Of Your Insurance Payments After An Accident

The moment we have to utilize our insurance after an accident breeds a lot of anxiety in people everywhere. Yes, that’s what our auto insurance is there for, but if you get into an accident your insurance is going to go up whether you were the one at fault, or not. No one wants to pay more in insurance premiums, in fact, everyone dreads having to do that, but your insurance will play an important role in providing you a safety net, in case an accident does occur.

How Much Does Your Car Insurance Go Up After An Accident?

Getting into an accident is going to cause your insurance to go up. How much your insurance goes up will differ from state to state. Here’s a chart to show you the increases that will occur on average after you get into an accident.

What If The Accident Isn’t My Fault?

Unfortunately, whether the auto accident was your fault or not, your insurance premiums will most likely go up. In some cases, certain insurance companies have an accident forgiveness program. This program often works for a driver’s first at-fault accident, and may also work if the accident wasn’t your fault at all. This will take the accident off of your record, therefore, not increasing your premiums for further insurance payments.

When looking into which insurance company is right for you, the accident forgiveness program is a good addition to any policy. Here is a list of insurance companies that offer the accident forgiveness program to eligible drivers.

• Nationwide
• Allstate
• Progressive
• State Farm
• USAA
• The Hartford

It’s important to look up the guidelines for each individual program because not everyone is eligible to utilize the accident forgiveness program. Some programs require that the driver maintain a flawless driving record to be eligible.

Is It Possible To Get A Lower Rate After An Accident?

If you don’t happen to qualify for any of the accident forgiveness programs, or your insurance just doesn’t have that program, to begin with, there are still ways to get a lower insurance rate after you’ve had an accident.

Now it’s time to look at all of the ways that you can lower your insurance rate after you’ve had an accident. Here’s a list of things to do to get those insurance premiums down:

• Increase your deductible and you’ll lower your premium. Make sure that you can cover more out of pocket expenses before doing this, but if you don’t think that’s going to be a problem, then raise that deductible as high as you can handle.

• Make your credit shine. If you’re able to raise your credit rating, by paying off your debts, addressing any marks on your credit report, etc., it will greatly affect your insurance rates in a positive fashion.

• Decrease your overall coverage to the absolute minimum. This is only recommended if it’s your only solution, because you won’t be very protected in the case of a future accident.

• Search for discounts in every insurance company you look at. There are discounts available for a number of reasons, and those could really assist you in achieving a better rate after you’ve had an accident.

• Acquire a different car, instead of the one you’ve been driving that costs you so much in insurance. There are a number of vehicles that have greatly decreased rates due to their rankings in safety, and stability.

Don’t settle for the first company you research. It’s important to shop around for the best deals, and that may take you a few hours, but overall it’s going to be worth it.