Would an accident that wasn't my fault be in my record when switching auto insurance?

Question

I was hit by a car on the left side of my car, damaging the top bumper and fender as well as scratching the entire left side of the car. The right side of her headlight fell off and I believe she damaged the bumper. A police was there, and she admitted that she hit my car, so it is in the police report. Being that this is my first accident, I was clueless on the procedures to follow after the accident such as informing my insurance about the accident or calling her insurance directly to inform that I’ve been hit by one of their customer. I was told by people that if I inform my insurance and submit a claim even though I wasn’t at fault, it will be in my record although my premium doesn't increase. However, if I inform her insurance directly and resolve this by myself proving that she was at fault, and then have her insurance pay for the damages on my car, then my insurance wouldn’t have any record of the accident. Out of uncertainty, I called my insurance and reported the accident and submitted a claim, which hasn’t been resolved yet. If the finalized outcome is put against her, and my premium remains the same as I and my insurance wouldn’t have to pay for the damages on my car, would I need to report this to other insurance companies when I want to switch auto insurance? I’m confused and need some clarification on this. Not sure how appropriate it is to ask my insurance agent about this subject. Any advice would be great! Thank you in advance!

Answer 1

I had an accident in which the other driver was at fault. Her insurance was great as was the other driver actually. It really was an accident so there were no hard feelings. It was all solved quickly through her insurance.

The next time I went to get insurance they asked about it and my rate was higher. I was hit from behind and there was no way to avoid it. Needless to say I wasn't happy. I was not given a ticket, she was.I too had a clean record.

Go figure. Insurance companies are not out to be our friends, they are out there to make a profit.

Answer 2

Your concern is what could happen with your premium -- this is exactly the type of question your insurance agent is there for.  Your agent knows your company procedures and underwriting guidelines. We don't. Anything we tell you is meaningless.

If a claim was filed, the claim will show up on your CLUE report.

The agents with my company call me from time to time b/c a policy holder is changing companies (usually to get a lower rate) and an accident showed up on the CLUE when the new company ran it. The agents call me to see if I have a copy of the police report showing it was not the fault of our policy holder so they can give that to the person to give to the new insurance agent.

Go meet with your agent -- this is what they are there for.

Answer 3

No . If they ask you if you've had any accidents in the past three years, they mean chargable accidents . Just tell them no.

Answer 4

If it wasn't your fault then your premium will not increase.  But you should tell your company anyway since they will find out about it via CLUE or MVR and then there will be no question as to what happened or fault..  If you don't tell them and they find on CLUE or your MVR they may want an explaination.

Answer 5

Sorry I didn't read all of your "question" but I begin to boil when I hear of people who don't/won't report an accident to their insurance company.  What in the world do these people pay insurance premiums for if they are afraid to use it ?     Always report any accident to the police and then to YOUR insurance company.  Always !