Accident, not my fault, should I even te

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
View Threaded
Mon 14 Feb 2005 14:47
Accident, not my fault, should I even te - scrooge
Hi,

Friday night on the motorway a van crashed into the vehicle ahead of him in the fast lane, then swerved into my lane and hit my side. My car doors were quite badly damaged. I've got all his details and that, and I assume it would be his fault and covered by his employer's insurance (he was in a company van).

I pay a lot for my insurance as I've only been driving a few months and have a high risk job, and can't really afford to pay any more. Am I right in thinking that if I report an accident to my insurers my insurance goes up even if it is not my fault as I am then seen as higher risk? Because if that's the case am I better just trying to settle direct with the guy and get the damage fixed myself?

Advice welcomed...
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 14 Feb 2005 14:54
Accident, not my fault, should I even te - Wilco {P}
Read your policy doc carefully - a lot of insurers require you to notify them of any accident, regardless of fault and whether you intend to make a claim.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 14 Feb 2005 14:55
Accident, not my fault, should I even te - Ex-Moderator
You should tell them about all incidents in which you are involved, whether or not your fault, whether or not it will result in a claim.

The Third Party insurer will normally insist on your insurance details. This is primarily to ensure that you are not claiming from two places for the same incident. As soon as the TP Insurer writes to your insurer, then they will be aware of the incident anyway. At which point your insurer will then inquire as to why you haven't informed them.

One non-fault incident which results in no payout will not affect your premium. Several might.

Do ensure that you recover your excess from the third party and forward evidence of this recovery to your own insurer. This is taken as irrevocable proof that the incident was not your fault.

However, do not make the mistake of assuming that he will still remember that it was his fault by today, that he will have told his company that it was his fault, or that the insurer will have taken any notice of the pair of them.

You may be lucky, but often not.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 14 Feb 2005 15:23
Accident, not my fault, should I even te - GrahamF1
It's made a bit more difficult by the fact that it's a company vehicle that hit you.

People have given me small bumps in car parks in the past, and they're usually happy to settle direct (they don't want their insurers to know any more than I want mine to know).

I know it's their business and they make the rules, but I feel hard-done by over the requirement to report ANY accident. If you don't ask them to pay out, I reason that it's none of their business.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 14 Feb 2005 19:12
Accident, not my fault, should I even te - Hugo {P}
Graham

If that's your personal opinion then fine, but it is NOT good advice.

Scrooge

You should report this incident asap as a matter of course. Doing this you'll be able to use your uninsured loss recovery service etc if you have it.

If this is your first accident you may not know the procedure of keeping your costs to a minimum but making sure you're fully re imbursed for these.

Your insurers should be able to advise, as can certain members of this forum ie Mark and Retro.

Hugo
Reply | Report as offensive | Link

We give you the low down on how to save on insurance, little-known tricks and tips, what insurance groups mean and how to use insurance aggregators to beat insurers.

Insurance group finder and how to save on insurance

From economical vans to those that have the largest payloads, we have a shortlist for everyone - click to find out which will suit your needs.

Undecided on which van to buy? Our Top 10 shortlists can help...