Should I report the accident to car insurance?

MSAD

The deductible only applies to damage to your car (collision coverage). It does not apply to your liability coverage.

Liability pays for damage you cause to others.

If your friend is willing to let you pay out of pocket and you have the money to pay upfront (check or certified funds so you have a receipt), then it is OK to handle between you.

But, if you are going to give your friend a bunch of grief over the estimates or can't pay up front- turn it in and let your insurance handle it.

Any time you have an at fault accident (which this is) there is a possibility of a rate increase.

RDC

Okay, are the estimates for your car or your friends car? You are responsible for the repairs to both. You would pay no deductible for your friends vehicle if you reported it to your insurance carrier. A deductible would only apply to the repairs for your vehicle. If the 900-1200 is just for your vehicle remember that you are also on the hook for the repairs to your friends vehicle. So if you didn't report it to your insurance carrier you would be paying 900-1200 IN ADDITION to however much it costs to repair your friends vehicle.

There are certainly big advantages to reporting a claim to the insurance company. First, at least in my state a person has 3 years to claim property damage to an insurance carrier. So lets say that you go ahead and fix the damage on your friends vehicle and you think everything is buttoned up. Then you guys get in some major fight, or the paint begins to peel, or suddenly their transmission goes out and they feel like it is accident related, they can STILL go to your insurance carrier and demand payment. I used to be an insurance claims adjustor and TRUST ME, it has happened. When you report it to an insurance carrier right away they can get out, take pictures of the vehicle to record the area of impact and damages and then these questions generally never come up. It takes your friendship out of the equation, so there is never any tension about you feeling hurt because you friend wants to get their vehicle fixed at a super expensive place, and they don't get their feelings hurt because you don't want to pay to have the work done at an expensive place.

As well, how much your insurance goes up depends on a number of factors, such as bodily injury, impact severity, amount of repairs, amount spent on a claim and fault. In this incident it sounds like no one was hurt because the other vehicle was unoccupied, it was of minor to moderate severity and your husband was totally at fault for the accident. You may not be looking at huge increases in your premium. And of course if your friend ever decides to report it to your carrier after you paid you would STILL have to deal with a premium increase.

good luck!

entidtil

Insurance companies simply adore people who won't use their insurance ! They sit back, collect premiums and never have to pay out a dime in claims. A very real danger to handling the claim yourself is later, they may come back and say some hidden damage was found and it will cost another $800.00 or ? to fix....or... "my back has been bothering me from that sideswipe and I have to see the Doctor"... Surely the insurance won't go up (if it goes up at all) $400.00 to $700.00 ? Don't be foolish. You have insurance, use it !

calipink22

Yes your rates will increase because it's a collision accident and collision is almost always negligent. And in this case, it would be a negligent accident. Is it your car that needs repairs or the car that he hit? If it's your car I wouldn't report the accident. Try and see if you can find a cheaper shop to do the body work for you, you already have to pay $500 anyway. Better start saving. If it's the other car that needs repair then you really don't have a choice in the matter. But either way, if it's reported you can expect to lose your claims free discount for at least 3-5 years

Sophie B

If you pay for the repairs yourself, then no need to report it....

it would not be fair to not have it fixed, until you have had another accident....

David L

Yes, your insurance premiums will increase if you file a claim.

mac

Since your deductible is equal to about half the damage, it is not worth the difference in money to report it.....no matter what his record is up to now, this accident will be held against him and your premiums will increase unless you have allstate with their "accident forgiveness" program.

JEFF Z

Do not report it. Pay out of pocket and keep clean driving record.
You can easily compare how your quotes will change with next renewal in internet, for example here - car-insurance.66ghz.com

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