The repercussions after you hit a car affect not just you.

Question: I am 17 years old. I was on my way to school and I hit a car. I was pressing the brake pedal to slow down and stop but it wasn’t working and I ended up hitting the side of the other guy’s car. I drive a truck, there wasn’t much damage to it, just a broken head light, 2 dents to the front bumper and its leaking antifreeze. The guy that I hit, he car got dented up a couple of places. The back door by the passenger side is where got hit. The police were called and everything was sorted out. I am not on the insurance policy because it was my uncle’s truck I was using. How much would the insurance go up? Would it go up? Please help.

Answer: Yes, your uncle’s insurance is most likely going to go up because it was his insurance company that paid for the accident. You are also going to see high insurance rates when you get your own insurance because the accident is going to be on your DMV record. As far as the amount each insurance policy will go up because you hit a car, there is no way to be able to tell you.

Figuring out how much your car insurance premium will be before you buy is easier than you think.

Q: Hello! I got into a car accident about three years ago. It was my fault and I did not have car insurance. The damages were 6,000 dollars, so now I am making monthly payments to the insurance company. I want to figure out how much car insurance will be for me before I buy a car. If its ridiculously high I will put a hold on buying a car until I am more financially stable. How do I find out an estimate of how much my car insurance will be?

A: First, collect the information for the vehicle you are looking to purchase (VIN, year, make and model). Next, call an insurance agent or insurance company for a quote on a policy. Make sure when you are giving them your information that you include ALL of your accident information so that you get the most accurate quote possible.

This will give you a very good idea of how much your insurance premium will be.

What to do when the other party in an insurance claim refuses to cooperate.

Q:  My son bought a new car and someone already backed into him. It was a hit and run and he followed the driver to their destination. He called the police and they did exchange information. We filed a claim with the other driver’s insurance and sent a copy of the police report and an estimate of repairs. The insurance company refuses to return our phone calls and says they cannot do anything until their client responds to their calls. We have a police report – shouldn’t that be enough coupled with the client’s refusal to cooperate for them to pay our claim? Who do I contact about them not returning our calls?

HELP! Thanks!

A: So sorry to hear about the other party refusing to cooperate. There are two things you can do in this case and both call for you to stop contacting the insurance company you have been trying to work with.  First, if the other party confessed to being at fault for the accident and it is in the police report, contact the insurance commissioner for your state.  If you have an official confession, there is no reason for the insurance company not to process their claim just because they can’t get a hold of their client.

Your only other option is to file a claim with your insurance company for the damages and then they will go after the other person and the other insurance company for you.

Young drivers in car accidents can expect car insurance premium increases.

Question: So I barely backed up into a car . I have my own insurance . Im 18 so I’m still in that expensive range insurance. how much more do you think my insurance will go up?

Answer: While I cannot tell you how much your car insurance will go up, it will be going up.  Yes, you are in that expensive range of car insurance and that is also the range of car insurance that the insurance companies come down on the hardest for the slightest infraction. You will find out on your next renewal how much your premium will be affected from the car accident.

Can you get an insurance premium refund for a vehicle removed in the past?

Question: 2 yrs ago I scrapped my vehicle but still kept the paying for the insurance. I thought I needed if I would drive another vehicle and so I wouldn’t have a lapse which would result in a higher premium later. If I go to my insurance company and cancel the coverage, how far will they pro rate my payments to. Can I get a refund for the full 2 yrs Thank You!

Answer: Great question!  There are a number of things to address with this though.

First, were there other vehicles on your policy at the time? If there were then you are not going to be able to get a refund on the whole premium.

Second, if that was your only vehicle and you have not owned it then you should be able to get a refund back to the time you stopped owning it.  However, you are going to get push back from your insurance company about this and you are going to have to provide proof of the date you stopped owning the vehicle. Also state laws may favor your insurance company in regards to having to have continuous coverage or there being a certain time limit in which you needed to report to your insurance company that you no longer needed to insure that vehicle.

The only way you will know for sure is to call and talk to your insurance company.