I was just in a fender bender, and I’ve heard your insurance rates can jump by like 20% if you’re at fault. Anyone here been through this? How do you keep rates down after an accident?
Yeah, my brother rear-ended someone a while back, and his rates went up by 22%. It was a nightmare dealing with the insurance company.
Valen said:
Yeah, my brother rear-ended someone a while back, and his rates went up by 22%. It was a nightmare dealing with the insurance company.
Same with my dad. His accident wasn’t even that bad, but his rates spiked for like five years.
@Ollie
Yeah, and it follows you even if you switch companies. No escaping it.
Valen said:
@Ollie
Yeah, and it follows you even if you switch companies. No escaping it.
Exactly. We looked at switching to a different company, but the surcharge still carried over. Such a hassle.
@Ollie
Yup, they don’t tell you that part. You really have to shop around to find a better rate after something like this.
I was in an at-fault accident last year. My rates jumped by 20%, and they told me it’ll stay on my record for at least three years. Anyone else deal with that?
Ridge said:
I was in an at-fault accident last year. My rates jumped by 20%, and they told me it’ll stay on my record for at least three years. Anyone else deal with that?
My sister had an accident too. Her insurance went up for five years. It depends on the state and company, but three years is the minimum.
@Zayne
That’s rough. Did she end up switching insurance companies?
Ridge said:
@Zayne
That’s rough. Did she end up switching insurance companies?
She did. It saved her a little, but the at-fault accident still made it tough to find something affordable.
@Zayne
Yeah, I’ve been looking into it, but no luck so far. Guess I’ll have to stick it out for a while.
I raised my deductible after my mom’s accident. It helped lower the premiums a bit, but if you get into another accident, it’s risky since you’ll have to pay more out of pocket.
Dell said:
I raised my deductible after my mom’s accident. It helped lower the premiums a bit, but if you get into another accident, it’s risky since you’ll have to pay more out of pocket.
That sounds like a good idea, but yeah, I’d be nervous about having to pay a huge deductible. Did it make a big difference for your mom?
@Testusername
It saved her around $25 a month. Not massive, but every bit helps, especially when you’re trying to recover from a rate hike.
Dell said:
@Testusername
It saved her around $25 a month. Not massive, but every bit helps, especially when you’re trying to recover from a rate hike.
True, anything helps when rates go up that much. I might look into raising mine too.
Has anyone else tried accident forgiveness? My mom added it before her first accident, and it kept her rates the same. Might be worth checking if you can get it before something happens.
Zion said:
Has anyone else tried accident forgiveness? My mom added it before her first accident, and it kept her rates the same. Might be worth checking if you can get it before something happens.
I didn’t even think about that. I’ll have to see if my insurance offers it. Is it expensive?
@Flynn
Not really. It’s definitely cheaper than dealing with a 20% rate hike for years.
Zion said:
@Flynn
Not really. It’s definitely cheaper than dealing with a 20% rate hike for years.
Good to know. Thanks for the tip. I’ll check it out!
My dad got into an accident and was only 20% at fault, but his insurance still went up. I didn’t realize even partial fault can mess with your rates like that.