Q: Why does my credit score have anything to do with my car insurance premium?

A: When insurance companies started using credit scores as one of their rating factors there was a huge outrage as people did not understand how their credit score had anything to do with how safe of a driver they were. And honestly, credit score has nothing to do with how safe of a driver you are.

However, that’s not why insurance companies use that as a factor in your premium, you can thank all of the people that have successfully and unsuccessfully filed fraudulent claims in the past. They use your credit score as an indication as to whether or not you are likely to try and commit insurance fraud because you need the money. Insurance companies have stated that they have data that backs their claim that people with lower credit scores are more likely to commit insurance fraud.

With that being said though, some states are working to overturn this rating practice and we will see what happens in the future.

Q: My car insurance agent said that I can add roadside assistance to my car insurance policy, but I already have AAA. Which one is better?

A: Actually the best thing to do is to ask your insurance agent for the details in writing of what is covered in the roadside assistance that is offered as an option on your insurance policy. Then compare what is offered there to what you have on your  AAA roadside assistance.

Each insurance company offers different roadside assistance packages so it is different from one company to the next. There are even different levels of the packages within the same company. So get the details of what is being offered on your specific company’s car and do a comparison.

Q: I just got my car insurance renewal and my premium went up, but I have had no claims or tickets. Why did it go up?

A: If you have not had any claims or tickets, your car insurance most likely went up because the company had a state-approved rate increase since you last renewal. Increases can also be because the safety and claims data for your vehicle has been updated, this can happen on any year vehicle but more often on current or next year vehicles.

Your credit score can also have an affect on your car insurance premium.

If you have seen a recent increase in your premium, talk to your insurance agent to find out why. If you are unhappy with the answer you can always have your car insurance agent get you quotes from other companies to see if they cant find you a better rate.

Q:  July 11 I was driving on the highway at 10:20 pm and collided with another car when I tried to change lane. I honestly said that I checked my rear mirror first to make sure of any cars and turned my signal to the right, check my right side mirror to make sure two lights are visible and checked the passenger side window to the right to make sure there’s no car beside me before I changed lane. I was driving 60 mph and slowed down when I tried to changed lane. Was I at fault? She was driving pretty fast. The paint on the passenger side door of her car were scratch on the surface, though mine was OK, just very little. How will this affect my insurance?

A: If she was not in the lane and was speeding to the point that she came up on you during your lane change, then most likely she is at fault.  I don’t know how it will affect your car insurance premiums, as there is a lot of information that goes into creating the premium specific to your needs and details.

Q: Last May 15 I had an accident that lead to me filing a claim, I was at a stop sign in a parking lot when another driver back up and hit my car. There are two big dents and the paint were scrapped on the left rear side of my car. Obviously I am not at fault. Since that was a first incident ever happened to me, it didn’t occurs to me to call the police or the management to verify what happened and all we did is exchanged Info like insurance, driving license and took some pictured of both cars. I told my adjuster that I was not moving and at a stop sign when this happened and they concluded that I was not at fault. But the other driver told a lie and said that I was driving the car and her company put me at fault for “failing to keep a safe distance and drive past her and scratched her rear side and bumper” but they are willing to pay 50% of the repair on my car. Now we have to pay $500 deductible before the rest are covered by my insurance and hers. I felt wronged because I have to pay for someone else mistake but my insurance/GEICO said they cannot do anything and advised us to go repair our car otherwise they can’t proceed with the claim.

A: Unfortunately, without a police report or any other evidence the only evidence to go off of is the he said/ she said.

However, with that being said there are two things that are glaringly sticking out at me. First, usually in a rear ending case (like what the other insurance company is accusing you of) the driver doing the rear ending and “failing to keep a safe distance and drive past the other driver” is found 100% at fault. But, they only found you 50% at fault, which makes me wonder why they found their own driver 50% at fault for something that they should have found them 0% at fault for.  If there is nothing else, like your state being a comparative negligence state, it sounds like they are just trying to get out of paying the full 100% of the claim. I would ask your claims adjuster about why the other company would find their own driver 50% at fault for what they are claiming to be a rear ending accident.

Second, I would ask a repair shop to look at the damages to your vehicle and see if they can determine what happened by the way the scratches and dents are placed or facing. They may be able to provide you with the claims evidence you need to prove that the other driver backed into you.