Personal Injury Calculator – Top 5 Questions For Calculating Your Car Accident Claims
Using a personal injury calculator can help you figure out how much your car accident claims are worth. Here are the top 5 questions people ask about calculating the value of their auto insurance settlement.
1. How Does the Personal Injury Calculator Determine my Car Accident Claim?
The most basic formula that is known to be used for car accident injury claims is:
Pain Multiplier X Medical Expenses + Loss of Income
The “pain multiplier” is a number typically between 1.5 and 5. This multiplier number is chosen based on the severity of your car accident injuries; the more serious your injuries, the larger the multiplier.
For example, a minor injury like a sprained neck is more likely to get a low multiplier (1.5-3). While a more serious and painful injury, like a broken leg, would get a higher multiplier (3-5). The multiplier range may even go to higher figures (10) for more severe and long term injuries.
The next thing that is included in the claims formula is your medical expenses, also known as “special damages.” These expenses include the cost of your medical treatments, visits to the hospital, ambulance ride, X-Rays, pain medication etc.
The final thing that is added in your insurance settlement is your loss of income. This refers to the amount of income you lost as a result of your injuries. For example, if your injuries forced you to stay home from work, then your lost income would equal your daily pay rate times the number of work days you missed.
2. When Should You Use a Personal Injury Calculator?
The best time to use the injury calculator is at the end of your medical treatment. You should always have your injuries thoroughly diagnosed and examined before filing an injury claim. This gives you a more accurate estimate of your total medical expenses that should be included in your final settlement.
3. Who Should NOT Use the Personal Injury Calculator?
Most personal injury claims involve minor injuries that do not require you to immediately hire an expensive lawyer. For these types of claims, you should use the injury calculator to get a rough estimate of what your auto accident settlement might be worth.
However, there are insurance claims which cannot be handled without the help of a skilled injury lawyer. These types of car accident claims involve more serious and long term injuries like permanent disabilities, lost or severed limbs, traumatic head injuries etc. If you were severely injured, your best option is to meet with a lawyer who is familiar with claims related to your specific injuries.
4. How Accurate is the Personal Injury Calculator?
The injury calculator does not give you the exact final settlement, but an initial estimate of how much your injuries are worth to the insurance companies.
Many people would argue that the injury calculator is too simplistic. That it does not address the complexities and subtleties of an individual’s personal injury claim. Others are quick to bring up Colossus, a sophisticated software program used by the insurance companies to evaluate insurance claims.
However, the biggest benefit of using the personal injury calculator is not to tell you what will be your specific settlement amount. The biggest benefit is to help you understand how your specific settlement amount will be calculated. The settlement calculator emphasizes that the range of your final settlement amount will be primarily based on:
The seriousness of your injuries.
Your total medical costs.
Your lost income.
These are going to be a key factors in your injury settlement regardless of which specific software program you use.
5. Should I Use the Personal Injury Calculator?
You will always have the option of bringing in a lawyer further down in the claims process. The best advice is to use the settlement calculator to get a quick assessment of what your auto accident claims can be worth.
Auto Accident Personal Injury Settlements
Auto accident personal injury settlements offer the compensation amount for the injured victim in an auto accident when the claim is handled through insurance. The increasing rate in the amount of more motor vehicle accidents in the United States makes auto accident insurance settlements one of the most prolific types amongst the insurance settlements. Settlement offers you negotiation for personal injury claims.
According to Bureau of Transportation statistics, at least five million motor vehicle accidents are recorded every year on the nation’s roadways, two million people are injured, and at least 20,000 people die. Auto accident personal injury settlements are also possible in various injury and property damage auto accident situations.
Other statistics, however, report that over 40,000 people die in car accidents every year, every minute there are 5 deaths and 5 serious injuries caused by the motor vehicle crash. Auto accidents are the leading cause of death for people under 30. Approximately 6,000 pedestrian deaths and 100,000 pedestrian injuries are recorded every year. More importantly, one third of Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related traffic accident. Collisions with motor vehicles result in about 800 deaths of people riding bicycles every year.
A professional attorney can help you with auto accident personal injury settlements by ensuring the victim’s claim. The victim’s rights are protected through proper negotiations. The first step of an auto accident settlement is to file the claim with the insurance company, which should be done soon after the accident. A claim adjuster then verifies the facts in order to determine the liability and the incurred amount of damages. The verification provides you the amount of the personal injury which can be claimed.
Through auto accident personal injury settlements, it is possible that you can receive reparations for the medical expenses, loss of wages, pain and suffering awards, and property damages. A legal professional can help you in receiving legal and fair compensation for your injuries in an auto accident settlement.
My Car Has Hail Damage, Now What?
So your car got hit by hail now what do you do? If you’ve ever had your vehicle damaged by a hail you know it can be a very frustrating and expensive experience. Well if you have full coverage insurance on your car it doesn’t have to be frustrating or expensive. Often people don’t understand how to properly utilize there insurance coverage and are even afraid to claim the damage for fear that their rates will go up. This is a common fear but let me assure you a comprehensive claim such as hail damage doesn’t not raise your rates. In fact, if you don’t claim the damage and have it repaired you risk having any future claims being denied because of unrelated pre-existing damage.
The first thing you should do is call your insurance company and file a claim. Make sure you write your claim number down and it is always a good idea to ask the name of everyone you talk to and adjuster being assigned to your claim. The next step is the initial inspection or the “estimate.” Some insurance companies will ask you to go out get three estimates and hen fax them in. If your insurance company asks you to jump through these hoops just politely say NO. Ask where you need to go to have “them,” write “their,” estimate. Thats it, do not waste your time driving around getting multiple estimates because in the end your insurance company is just going to use those estimates as a starting point and write their own anyway.
An estimate means just that. It is an estimate of how much money and what the insurance company thinks it will take to repair your car. It is very important that you clean your car before having it inspected because you wont get paid for dents the appraiser can’t see. Secondly it is extremely important that you are as nice and as accommodating to the appraiser as you can be. It will do you no good to argue with or be rude to the person deciding how much money your going to get to have your car repaired.
Often times when there’s a large storm event the insurance companies are overloaded with claims and the have to outsource to independent appraisal services to help write all the claims that are pouring in. This is commonly referred to as a catastrophe team or “cat team.” Now I don’t think I have to tell you that these very busy appraiser’s are going to fly through your estimate as fast as they can and will probably miss a bunch of things. You may think your estimate looks a little low. In my line of work 90% of the estimates are written low. I’ve seen estimates for $1500 on a car that had over $6000 in damage. Don’t worry that estimate is not the final word it is merely a starting point. Unfortunately many people choose to keep they’re insurance money and never get their car fix. Some people even wait around til it hails again nearby and try to claim the un-repaired damage again. The insurance companies lose millions of dollars every year to fraudulent claims. It is impossible for them to keep track of every claim and they can’t force you to get your car fixed. The only way the insurance companies can combat this is by writing their initial estimates a little on the lighter side. I’ve had many appraisers tell me that their company actually trains them to feel the customer out and if they think they probably wont have their car repaired to write the estimate for as little as possible. Obviously if you have a brand new BMW your going to get it fixed but if you a 1984 Toyota Corolla with 350,000 miles on it you are probably going to keep the money, right?
The next step is to find a company to repair your dents. If you have large dents with paint damage and broken windows you will probably need to find a full service body shop. If you have mostly quarter sized dents and the damage is just superficial then PDR is the best option. PDR, or paintless dent repair is a repair method in which the dents can be gently massaged out and the original factory finish is left undisturbed. A good PDR shop can make your car look exactly like it did before the hail damage. Most dent’s half dollar sized or smaller can be removed fairly easily and quickly. In a perfect scenario your car could be repaired in as little as a few hours. Well, the world is not perfect and depending on your insurance company’s original estimate it may take several days to get an appraiser to come back out and re-write their estimate. This process is known as a Supplement. Usually on the back page of your estimate there are instruction for filling a supplement. The insurance company knows that if a professional repair facility is doing the repair then they are going to catch all the dents that were missed and ask to be paid for every last little bolt or clip that has to be removed. This is standard procedure and most insurers actually have a supplement hot line that body shops can call to have an appraiser sent out to the shop.
Some insurance companies send an appraiser out right away while other companies can take 7-10 days. I won’t get into which companies are the worst but I will say that Progressive and Farmers are top notch! This is not a paid endorsement it’s just the painfully obvious truth. If I call farmers they are at my shop the next morning every time even though their policy is within 48 hours. Progressive is almost as fast within 48 hours usually. Some of the other companies won’t tell you when there coming and your at their mercy. This is usually the longest delay in the repair process but it is the most important. Often times we get twice as much money as the original estimate. This is very important because without this additional money you may get a shop to do a complete repair or worse you may have to pay money out of pocket.
The next issue is “deductibles.” You have a contract with your insurance company that you will pay the first $500, $1000, or whatever your deductible is, towards the repair of your vehicle. This money is always deducted out of the check your insurance company gives you and they leave it up to you to pay it or find a company that will fix it for less. Essentially any company that repairs your vehicle without requiring you to pay a deductible is giving you a “discount.” This is completely legal and in fact most PDR companies will not require you to pay your deductible. Make sure you get any promises made to you in writing. I also suggest you get an estimated length of repair time. At my shop we always provide a customer with a written quote of the exact amount due for the repair or we give the customer a guarantee in writing that we will complete the repair for the negotiated amount the insurance company issues payment for. If we file a supplement it is expressed that we earned that money in addition to the original estimate. It is very important that you have written proof that you as the customer will not have to pay more than “x” amount of dollars when your car repair is completed. If a shop is unwilling to put their promises in writing then you need to find a new shop.
Once you find your repair shop or PDR company it is important that you know where the shop is and meet the owner or manager. I know this sound’s weird but a large majority of our customers never come to my shop and meet me. Often they are approached by one of my sales personnel and they let them pick the car up and then deliver back to them when it is finished without ever coming to my shop. This is great for me but it is extremely scary to think how easily people just hand over their keys and insurance checks. I always recommend to my salesmen that they suggest to their customer that they at least come out to our shop so they know where their car will be. It is also a good idea to ask for references. Often times we have repaired other cars in the neighborhood and have satisfied customers just down the street. Also you should check out a companies website if they don’t have one or it is poorly put together that may be an indicator that the company doesn’t pay much attention to detail. For a company to not have a website today is almost inexcusable! You may also call the local better business bureau. Even if a company is not a member the BBB will still field complaints and keep files on companies that receive complaints. Also check with your insurer. The will have files on companies that have had complaints or are suspected of fraudulent activities.
In conclusion PDR is definitely a great alternative to traditional body repair, and with a little research and due diligence the average person can navigate the claims process and find a great shop to repair their car for little or no money out of pocket!
Secrets to Passing the California Insurance License Exam
Like most States, California requires that you pass a government administered license exam before you can hang your shingle to sell insurance. In addition, you must take up to 52 hours of pre-license training, which thankfully, can now be done online. Separate license exams and training courses are required to sell property and casualty insurance versus life and health policies. And, there is mandatory continuing education required every two year renewal period as well as additional, special training classes needed to sell specific insurance products like flood insurance, long term care insurance and/or annuity investment policies.
If your plan is to thoroughly study the State handbooks, read and read again all the materials from your license course and take a cram course on test-taking, I can almost guarantee you still won’t pass the California Insurance Exam. These exams can be tough, since they are riddled with confusing and convoluted questions . . . the trademark of most government or quasi-government license exams. So what does it take to pass? Well, that’s what we cover in this article. And, there is a method to the madness.
First Off, Be Wary of Advice and Crazy Tips
Here is just some of the “buzz” around taking the State Exam. For the most part, ignore these rants and tips:
“Taking a cram class is all you need to pass” (Not true. See cram courses below)
“I was told to skip every question on the state exam. That way, these same questions are locked in and the computer will not spit out more difficult ones.” (A crazy conspiracy theory).
“A live teacher is the only way to pass. They pinpoint the “buzz” words you need to pass. They tell you things that can’t be put in writing” (Bunk . . . classes are monitored by the State. And, you need more than buzz words to pass).
“Use common sense to answer the exam questions.” (It won’t work).
“By process of elimination, you can get to the right answer.” (Works sometimes, but you would have to know the subject to eliminate the wrong answers).
“I earned 90% on my online practice exams . . . I’m ready”. (A lot of these 90 percenters still fail. There are practice exams and there are practice exams. See below).
“People who take online courses always fail”. (Bunk . . . our online school has a very high passing ratio . . . it’s what you do with the material that counts).
“Study the course materials . . . you will pass” (There is a lot more to it. It may be a variation the material you learned that is being asked).
“Just look for certain “buzz” words for the answer.” (The State knows all the buzz words . . . you’ won’t beat them this way).
California Specific
It may seem obvious to many, but be sure that the courses and exam prep materials you are studying are California specific. There are a lot of generic practice exams and courses available online that won’t prepare you for the State Exam or won’t allow you to even sit for the exam. Sign up with an approved California provider and make sure you are taking the right course for the license you want.
The State Exam
The State requires that you complete specific pre-license training BEFORE you can sit for the State Exam. The Certificates you earn from these courses are your “ticket” into the State Exam which are currently given at state office locations in San Diego, Los Angeles and Sacramento.
On the day of the exam, you need to bring proper identification including a current valid driver’s License, passport, military ID, etc. The State Exam is computer-based. There are 75 questions for the Life Only License; 75 for Accident & Health and 150 for Fire & Casualty.
You must score 70% or better to pass. If you fail, you can retake the exam 3 consecutive times for a fee of $41 each. Your 4th try requires a 30 day waiting period. Of course, if you follow the advice of this article you won’t need to worry about failing.
You can schedule the State Exam online at any time . . . just fill out the required license application. But, you must complete the required pre-license training courses needed for the license you want BEFORE taking the exam. And, you need additional time to tackle the remaining procedures we recommend to prepare yourself. Bottom line? Leave at least three weeks before scheduling an exam date.
Test Taking
There are some universal rules to taking any license exam. Basically, you need to become familiar with the testing mentality.
· Make sure to read every single word in both the questions themselves and the provided answers! There are people who fail simply because they didn’t read the question properly!
· Make sure that you understand the gist of the question itself…what are they getting at in the question? In order to answer a question properly, you must understand the idea behind the question!
· Be familiar with the format of the exam. The State Exam is taken on computer. See a sample of how it works on the State’s website here . . . http://www.insurance.ca.gov/sample-test/Sample_Questions-General.htm
· Don’t rush the exam. You have up to 3 hours for the Casualty or Life/Health Exam. Answer all the questions you know. Flag questions you are unsure of or skip them until later. Watch for words like except or not.
Studying Books, Course Content & State Publications
The State Exam is very broad in coverage. There will be many questions on codes, ethics and other insurance topics that you may never need or experience throughout your insurance career. Nonetheless, you have to know them to pass.
Then there are hundreds of pages of pre-license course materials (your 20, 40 and 52-hour training courses). In fact, the State dictates what needs to be covered in all pre-license courses and they publish “Educational Objectives” for each. Now, you would think that if you studied these courses and the “objectives” real hard you would be prepared for the exam. . .right? NOT. Don’t spend a lot of time here.. Sure, you need to read the materials to earn your Pre-License Certificate(s) and there are basics you can learn from these courses, but it is highly doubtful they will play a major role in helping you pass the State Exam.
Cram Courses
There are also dozens of generic guides and cram courses which say they are designed specifically to help you pass the State Exam. Save your money and time. Sure, some may provide some guidance, mostly on test-taking techniques I discussed above, but you still have to know specific learning points to pass. That cannot be condensed into a small book or even an 8 hour cram course. I know, I have taken these classes and wish I had spent the time studying instead.
An Exam Prep Workbook Is KEY!
OK, we’re down to the key to passing the State Exam. Find a proven Exam Prep Workbook. We cannot emphasize how important this is to passing. It’s almost too simple, yet license candidates tend to dismiss the effectiveness of practices exams. DON’T.
A typical exam prep workbook is jammed with up to 1,000 questions and answers, i.e.practice exams. Of course, there are practice exams, and there are practice exams. As I said, find a proven system and ALLOW UP TO TWO WEEKS TO FULLY COMPREHEND AND RECALL THE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS IN THEIR WORBOOK. Simply reading the workbook one or two times is NOT ENOUGH. Study and recall EVERY QUESTION at least 10 times or more. If you are getting the same questions wrong, highlight them and study them even more.
Don’t Schedule The Exam Early
Don’t schedule the State Exam until you have time to study your Exam Prep Workbook Practice Exams. Your boss and others may be pressuring you to take the State Exam ASAP after your online training, but until you can recall the questions and answers, your chances of passing are slim
Well, that’s it . . you now know how to pass the Insurance License Exam. But, I have a warning: If your mental focus is just to pass the exam, you need to re-focus. Plenty of people pass their exam only to lose their license or get sued making stupid mistakes. Knowing the answers to a bunch of exam questions is not enough . . . you have to know what you are doing with that license and you need to acquire a sense of responsibility and ethics to win customers and stay out of trouble. While these are not the subject covered here, know that they are as much a part of your career as getting your license. So, refer to your pre-license course materials for basic knowledge and use them for reference often. Always expand your knowledge and keep up on current events in the industry.
I wish you the best of luck in a very rewarding field.
Unlisted Drivers Can Cause Your Auto Insurance Rate to Skyrocket
Very few circumstances can cause your auto insurance rates to rise the way an unlisted driver can.
First, the basics. Auto insurance policies are written to cover your car, not necessarily the operator. What this means on the surface is that as long as you have given an individual “permissive use” of your vehicle, should that person become involved in an automobile accident, there should be coverage. The type of coverage that can be applied, of course, would depend on the type of car insurance you originally purchased. For instance, in the event your “permissive driver” is involved in an at fault accident, and you have purchased collision insurance coverage, collision would pay for the damages to your car, minus your deductible. But conversely, even if that driver was involved in a not at fault accident, you can expect your insurance company to take a closer look at your policy come renewal time.
As an example, assume that you loan your car to a friend on a one time basis for whatever reason. You can establish that this friend is not a consistent driver of your car, and you can verify that your friend does not live with you. What happens if your friend, the unlisted driver, becomes involved in an at fault car accident? Under the circumstances, your insurance policy would pay for the damages to your vehicle. Even if your friend has his own policy, that policy is not responsible to pay for your damages.
Will this create problems for you with the insurance company? Probably.
Normally, when insurance companies pay for an at fault accident, you can expect to suffer the consequences. Even though you are making payment on the relevant premiums, your insurance company will “penalize” you if you are involved in at fault accident. How is the penalty imposed? By way of a higher auto insurance rate.
And what about the fact that you permitted a friend to drive? Will that also boost your chances for a higher auto insurance rate? Probably so. Insurance companies tend not to respond well to “unlisted” drivers, at fault or not. In fact, with an unlisted driver in the driver’s seat, count on your insurance company to launch a claims investigation into the circumstances. More specifically, they will be looking into the possibility that the driver could live in your home. And, more than likely, they will also examine the driving history of the unlisted driver as well as whether or not that driver has insurance of his own.
Should you expect an increase in your auto insurance rates? Most definitely if the investigation divulges factors that increase your risk rating.
If the insurance company investigation reveals that the unlisted driver has a poor driving record, you can be fairly sure that this will be used against you when your auto insurance rate is calculated at the end of your insurance policy period. By association, if you allow an irresponsible driver to operate your insured vehicle, your risk scoring increases. The higher the risk, the higher the rates. And, if the insurance company can determine that the unlisted driver does not have his own insurance, your insurance company will certainly want to know why? Is it because that driver lives with you?
Applying for insurance without disclosing relevant and applicable risk data – such as the identity of all drivers in that residence – is what auto insurance policies define as “misrepresentation”. If a subsequent claims or underwriting investigation determines that you failed to reveal all drivers in the household, it is likely that the auto insurance policy will be cancelled for misrepresentation. In the event that happens, there will be no coverage for that at fault-unlisted driver accident.
Behave responsibly if you must loan your car to other drivers. Should it be revealed that those drivers are unlisted members of your household, you’re in for some major problems. If the unlisted driver is simply a one-time, responsible driver you can expect to be questioned, but you can also expect to be covered. In the long run, however, once your auto insurance policy is up for renewal, you can expect to face either a non-renewal, or a higher auto insurance rate. Unlisted drivers can be “expensive”.
Major Causes of Car Collisions
The prevailing dangers on our roadways are in fact the most dreaded cause of car collisions and accidents that lead to serious injuries and fatalities among the victims.
In fact, in Los Angeles alone, an alarming number of car collision cases have been reported during the last few years resulting to great damages to lives and properties. Thus, no one may declare that he is completely safe from accidents despite his abidance of the traffic rules and other precautionary measures.
Here are some of the major causes of car collisions and accidents:
Driver incompetence – a great number of drivers lack the proper training on road safety. Many of them even defy the traffic regulations such as tail gaiting, over speeding and many more road rules that tend to protect the motorists, including them, from harm.
DUI driving or intoxication – driving a car after drinking liquor excessively is very dangerous for it impair driving capabilities. Thus, the law strictly prohibits the too much intake of alcohol or other illegal substances especially when driving a car.
Distractions – motorists are expected to exercise extreme concentration in driving. However, so many distractions tend to divert their attentions and make their driving too risky. Examples are active discussions with the passengers; improper use of cell phones; loud car stereos and many others.
Heavy rains – weather is also a great factor in a safe road travel. The studies show that many car accidents happen during bad weather conditions – making the road surfaces slippery and affecting clear visibility.
Poor road design – the state has the obligation to make sure that our roadways are properly designed and safe for public use. However, there are times that this responsibility is not taken into account and not strictly administered.
As the government sets up road safety signs and equipment, it should always take into priority that these never, in any cases, would cause any unlikely incidents, which put the lives of many individuals at stake.
Vehicle defects – motorists and car owners should never fail to have an overall check up on the vehicle’s mechanical and technical aspects. Doing these precautions surely lessens the chances of road catastrophes, which are primarily caused by vehicle defects.
Meanwhile, it has been an accepted idea that it is certainly not an assurance or a guarantee that you’re being disciplined and extra careful can refrain you from experiencing and encountering road accidents and disasters.
Yet, the law prescribes that a person who has been injured due to somebody’s neglect can afford to file a personal injury claim and demand for such fitting damages.
What to Expect As a Passenger in a Car Accident
If you were a passenger in a car that met with an accident, you’re lucky. Not lucky in the sense that the accident happened – that is extremely unfortunate — but luckier than the driver. You’re mostly at lesser risk of injury, especially if you were seated at the back of the car. However, you are luckiest in that you will not be held liable for any injury, and very easily have a valid claim for claiming compensation because you were injured due to another’s negligence. So how do you go about claiming this compensation?
If you were injured while traveling as a passenger on any vehicle on the road – private or public you’re entitled to receive compensation from whoever was responsible for the accident. This is regardless of whether you were in a car, or in a public bus or train. If it was the driver’s fault, he or the organization he works for will have to pay. If it was the other drivers fault, he will have to pay for the damages to all the passengers and the driver and the car.
Generally, as a passenger you stand to get injured minimally, at least when compared to the driver. Thus, the amount of compensation will be a little lower, but will always be in keeping with the severity of your injuries and your particularly physical and medical condition. Along with that, if you find that you’ve had to bear additional expenses on account of this accident you will also get compensated for that.
Sometimes though the compensation amount may be reduced depending on what you were doing at the time of accident. For example if you weren’t wearing a seat belt, or if you were the cause of some distraction or disturbance, or if you allowed the driver to drive in a druken or intoxicated state or if you allowed the driver to drive without a valid license, then you could also be held partly responsible for the accident.
However, by and large, passengers of a car in an accident tend to almost always receive compensation. Thus, it would make good sense to contact a personal injury solicitor right away and speak to them to determine your chances.
Acceptance Auto Insurance – Is Their A Better Way To Go?
Many individuals struggle with problems that raise their insurance rates, such as accidents, violations, and comprehensive claims. Some individuals have difficulties getting insurance because of DUI violations or multiple accidents. Acceptance Auto Insurance can help these individuals, as well as provide good insurance options for lower risk drivers.
Acceptance Auto Insurance not only provides insurance rates to high-risk drivers; it also insures drivers who have been canceled because of their insurance risk. The company also assists with SR-22 filings. It provides fast service and immediate coverage.
If you are an individual who has been canceled because of accidents, violations, or other difficulties, getting insurance may be very difficult. Many companies are unwilling to insure persons with your risk rating because of the likelihood that they will be required to pay out a claim within a short time frame. You may have few options when it comes to selecting an insurance company.
If you are a driver who has had few or no claims in the last several years, you will want to locate an insurance company that offers you a preferred rate. Some insurance companies decline to offer preferred rates to good drivers. Don’t miss out on a policy discount to which your good record entitles you!
Acceptance Auto Insurance is one company that offers preferred rates to good drivers. Many other factors often affect one’s insurance rates, including location, age, and marital status, so don’t be offended if an agent asks you these questions. He or she is only trying to get you the best possible coverage for the lowest available rate.
Before requesting a premium quote, make sure that you have basic information about each driver that needs to be insured. In addition, know the basic details about your car. The year, make, and model of each car to be insured will need to be reported to the agent before he or she can offer you an accurate quote. If you are considering purchasing a car, give this information to the agent as well so that he or she can give you an estimate on a premium that would include this vehicle as well.
Acceptance Auto Insurance offers only a limited presence on the Internet; it is much more easy to obtain through local agents. Searching the internet, however, allows you to find an agent in your area that works with this company.
Consider comparison shopping before making a final decision. People with higher risk ratings may have few choices, and little searching is required. If you take the time to do your homework, however, you will have at least the satisfaction of knowing for certain that your premium with Auto Insurance Company is the lowest available rate that you will pay.
Car Accident Settlements – How to Negotiate More Money With the Auto Insurance Adjuster
To get more money from your car accident settlements, you need to understand how to negotiate with an auto claims adjuster.
Negotiating with an auto claims adjuster is tough. If you are unprepared, then you can end up losing thousands of dollars in your car accident claims.
To begin you need to know…
Who is the Car Insurance Adjuster?
The auto claims adjuster is the person who will evaluate what your auto accident settlement is actually worth.
The auto insurance adjuster will:
Collect and review the facts of your auto accident.
Check if you are covered under an auto insurance policy.
Investigate who was at fault for the accident.
Negotiate with you about your final settlement.
Write a check for your settlement.
However, the main goal of the car insurance adjuster is to settle your accident claim quickly and cheaply. This is why the insurance company hires them and this is how it rates their performance. An insurance adjuster, who takes too long to close auto accident claims or is unable to get low car insurance settlement, is not going to make their claims supervisor happy.
When you are negotiating your car insurance settlement, the two most important things you should focus on are…
1. Never Rush to Finish Your Auto Insurance Settlements
The auto insurance adjuster will try to pressure you to settle your auto accident claim quickly. This is because the longer an auto settlement takes, the more money an insurance company risks of losing.
You should never settle your car accident claims quickly. Even though you may want a quick accident settlement, to get your money faster and avoid the headache of dealing with the insurance companies, you will only hurt yourself in the long run.
Getting a quick auto insurance settlement will not help you, if you don’t take the time to get accurate car repair estimates. A quick settlement will not help you, if your car accident injuries are not properly diagnosed and treated.
These things will end up costing you a lot more money in the long run. Settling the claims quickly helps the insurance company, not you. So take your time analyzing your accident claims, speaking with doctors, getting multiple car repair estimates, and fully recovering before closing your auto insurance settlements.
2. Never Accept the First Car Accident Settlement Offer
It is a common practice amongst auto claims adjusters, to give you their lowest settlement offer first. Remember, the claims adjuster’s job is to save the insurance company money, not you.
The low settlement offer helps the auto claims adjuster see how desperate you are to settle. If you take the first offer, you will have missed out on a lot more money from your auto accident settlements. This is because the auto claims adjuster always has more money to negotiate with. The auto claims adjuster is given a settlement range to work with. This settlements range, depends on the how experienced the auto insurance adjuster is.
For example, a relatively inexperienced adjuster may be given a range of $5,000 to $10,000. While a more experience adjuster may have $10,000-$25,000 to close a claim with.
You most likely won’t know the car accident settlement range of your adjuster, but you should never accept the first offer.
These are some of the most common negotiating tactics, used by the auto insurance adjuster, to lower your car accident settlements.
Recommended Levels for Your Auto Insurance
With so many different types of auto insurance being offered by thousands of companies, trying to determine the right amount of coverage for your needs can be an overwhelming process. It is crucial to maintain enough coverage to protect yourself in case of an accident, but at the same time, you do not want to pay higher premiums for coverage you never use.
Consider the following breakdown of auto insurance types, and learn how to arrive at the most accurate coverage amounts to stay safe without overpaying.
Keep in mind that individual states’ required minimum coverage levels take precedence over any recommendations. Your auto insurer can easily provide you with your state minimums if you have trouble locating these figures on your own. You must maintain at least that much auto insurance in order to drive your vehicle.
Bodily Coverage
Body coverage, a sub-category of liability insurance, covers any claims by the other party for medical expenses in case of an automobile accident where you are found to be at fault. In addition to medical expenses, it can also protect you from claims for emotional suffering, funeral costs, and/or lost wages.
Medical expenses can be prohibitively high and add up easily. If you do not maintain enough bodily coverage, you run the risk of being sued personally and losing all of your assets. The costs of automobile injuries do not go down with the value of your car; therefore, you should determine your specific bodily coverage amount based on how much personal financial protection you need, not on the worth of your vehicle.
A generally accepted minimum coverage amount is $100,000 per person/$300,000 per accident. If you have significant personal assets (including, but not limited to, a house, an investment portfolio, and/or an inheritance), you will want to increase this coverage so it is higher than your personal net worth.
Property Damage Coverage
Property damage coverage, a sub-category of liability insurance, covers any claims of damage to vehicles, buildings, or other property caused by an accident where you are found to be at fault.
If you are in an accident with someone else’s expensive vehicle, you will likely not be able to handle the repair or replacement costs yourself. Adequate property damage coverage is crucial in order to protect your personal assets from being taken by the other party. Just as with bodily coverage, your minimum coverage amount should be based on your total worth. Your coverage should exceed the total sum of all of your assets. At minimum, you will likely want $100,000 in property damage coverage.
Collision Coverage
Collision coverage pays for the cost of repairs to or replacement of your vehicle in an accident where you are at fault. Your selected coverage amount should be based on the present-day market value of your vehicle. If you are still paying off the loan on your car, you will need to check with your lender about the minimum amount of collision coverage they require.
If your car is worth less than the cost of the auto insurance premiums (a general guideline is less than $2,000), it may not make sense to maintain this coverage. Without collision coverage, if your car is damaged in an accident, you will be responsible for repairing smaller damages on your own or buying a new vehicle.
Comprehensive Coverage
This type of auto insurance coverage relates only to your own vehicle. It helps cover the costs of accidents involving no other cars (for example, hitting a deer), as well as theft, fire damage, or vandalism.
After you consider any state minimum requirements for comprehensive coverage, be sure to also check with your auto loan financer to see if they also have a required comprehensive minimum. Beyond these minimums, determining the best coverage amount depends on a balance of what your car is worth and what premiums you can afford to pay.
If the total worth of your car is close to, or less than, your premium amount, and you own your car outright, you may elect not to carry this coverage at all. (Still not sure? Generally, you only want to drop comprehensive coverage if your vehicle is worth under $1,000.) If your car is worth a bit (or a lot) more, on the other hand, consider how you’d pay for repairs or an outright replacement if you didn’t have comprehensive coverage. Everyone is at risk of needing to file a comprehensive claim for circumstances entirely out of their control, and low comprehensive coverage payments now can save you from a huge financial emergency later on down the line.
Personal Injury Coverage
Personal injury coverage handles certain medical expenses and reimburses you for lost wages in case of an accident, regardless of who was at fault. It is mandatory in many no-fault states.
Check with your health insurance company to determine whether or not they would cover your medical expenses in an accident, whether or not you were at fault. Many times, they will, which makes personal injury coverage unnecessary.
The one case where personal injury coverage is advantageous is for lost wage reimbursement. This type of insurance is especially important for people with families to support and/or who would be most likely to miss work after an accident. For example, a broken leg may not cause a receptionist to miss more than a day or two of work, but could leave a limousine driver or construction worker home for weeks. Retirees or teenagers are unlikely to require lost wage reimbursement.
Consider your current income, compared with the added costs of obtaining enough personal injury coverage to equal your income. If the cost is not prohibitive, you may be very thankful down the line to have personal injury coverage if you find yourself out of work due to an automobile injury. Most people would require at least $10,000 per individual in personal injury coverage.
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage
This coverage handles expenses incurred if you are in an accident caused by a driver with no or too little insurance. Because there is no way to prevent such a situation from potentially happening, it’s very important to elect this type of coverage in addition to all others you are paying for.
Don’t assume your costs can be recouped by suing the uninsured motorist. Legal actions take time, and if your car was too damaged to drive or even totaled, you need the payments covered right away. Additionally, if the party at fault has no or too little insurance, it is not very likely that they would have much money available to pay your costs even if directed to by a court of law.
When choosing this coverage amount, consider that you may be physically injured in addition to sustaining damages to your vehicle. You also may have injured passengers in your car. Therefore, you do not want to select an amount that only covers the cost of car repairs. A generally accepted minimum level is $100,000 per person/$300,000 per occurrence.
Rental Reimbursement Coverage
This coverage pays for a rental car if your own car was damaged in an accident. There is generally a maximum daily rental rate, and a maximum number of rental days.
If you would not need to rent a car should yours be out of commission (because you have another car, for example, or because you have easy access to public transportation to get to work), then do not elect this coverage. Otherwise, since rental reimbursement coverage usually adds only a few dollars to your premium, it is a wise idea to select it, just in case.
Towing Coverage
This coverage pays for all towing costs associated with an accident. Depending on the policy, towing coverage may also include emergency roadside assistance if your car runs out of gas, stalls, or has a dead battery.
Many people already have similar coverage from their auto dealer or an auto club. Do not signup for this coverage if you already have towing coverage from another source. However, if you do not have access to any towing coverage currently, it is definitely worth the additional few dollars per year for the added safety and peace of mind.