Ebene Kagan : Does an auto insurance claim affect my auto insurance premium since when I did compare auto insurnace quotes my auto insurance quote was higher?
I live in New York city.

Compare auto insurance quotes or review car insurance if invloved in auto accident.

Response : Auto accidents are unfortunate events and this is the main reason why one goes for an auto insurance policy. It is a fact that in case you are involved in an auto accident and the accident falls within the perview of the insurance company they would settle your claim and reimburse you. In cases where someone is hurt or a fatal accident the financial loss can be much higher for the insurance company.

Insurance companies have their own underwriting guidelines which they follow, however the reality is that if you are involved in an auto accident the insurance premium would increase in the subsequent year on account of the claim. The quantum of increase in the auto insurance premium is not directly proportionate to the claim paid, however there is an increase in the premium.

Now as per the recent news in New York and Florida the number of staged claims are on the rise and those staging the claims involve incoent drivers in tha accidents.

Suspicious insurance claims from staged accidents are on the rise— and nowhere more than in New York and Florida, two states with no-fault statutes.

Overall, the number of questionable claims from staged accidents increased by 46.3 percent from 2007 to 2009, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB)

Additionally, the ratio of staged accident claims to overall bodily injury (BI) and personal injury protection (PIP) claims has increased over this period while the total number of BI and PIP claims has declined.

You will be suprised to know that Florida and New York are ranked first and second, respectively, in the top 10 loss states and five of the top 10 loss cities.

The top five states that generated the most staged accident questionable claims are: (1) Florida, 3,006; (2) New York, 1,680; (3) California, 1,619; (4) Texas, 792; and (5) Illinois, 433.

The five cities that generated the most staged accident questionable claims are: (1) New York City, 1,304; (2) Tampa, 562; (3) Miami, 511; (4) Orlando, 422; and (5) Houston, 376.

Staged accidents target innocent drivers with schemes aimed at defrauding the insurance company. This would mean that you need to be more aware on the road when you are driving. Avoid tailgating at all cost and also note down all the details of the oppoiste driver and details of the claim in case you get involved in an auto insurance accident. Unfortunately, there is nothing which can be given to distingush between a genuine claim and a fraud and hence you need to be careful.

It would be best to compare auto insurance quotes online here or at any other web-site of your choice review car insurance coverage to get low auto insurance rates.

Thanks.
Kamlesh

Stephen (North Dakota): I would like to compare auto insurance quote online but am worried if it would affect my credit score? This is because I have heard that insurance companies check your credit worthiness before giving insurance. Would I not be insured if I claim bankruptcy?

Response: Stephen, I would advice you to compare auto insurance quote online since if you compare your auto insurance quote online than your credit score for auto insurance rating would certainly not be affected. This is because the insurance companies would just process the data online and give you a quote without verifying your credit score. Than once you apply for insurance they would check your credit score. Secondly this is a soft hit to your credit and hence will not affect your credit score.

The connection between a driver’s safety record and credit rating is not readily apparent to most. Many consumers feel that insurance companies are intrusive when they request such information on an automobile insurance application. Many legislators, insurance commissioners, and consumer rights advocates agree, and have questioned the practice in recent years. Still, insurance companies explain that credit information is needed to make a complete risk analysis when evaluating an insurance application.

If you have filled bankruptcy than your auto insurance premium would be very high. At times some personal lines insurer might decline your risk.  Recently in the revisios of auto insurance in Ontario it is proposed that the credit rating should not affect the insurance rate and this parameter should not be a ground for denying car insurance coverage.

 It seems that there is a connection between credit risk and safety risk. Some insurance company statistics show that drivers with derogatory credit, historically file more accident claims than drivers without derogatory credit. Insurers reason that a consumer who is careful with one aspect of their life (e.g., financial affairs) is also likely to be careful with other aspects of their life (e.g., driving habits). Credit information is also needed to determine whether an applicant is likely to pay premiums in a timely fashion.

As per the insurance companies they like to review the credit scrore since this is a right measure for the nature of responsiblity of a person. If he has a good score it would mean that he is likely to be responsible on the road also. This would decrease the probability of loss to a great extent.