# Questions about *at-fault* accident



## canabiz (Apr 4, 2009)

Folks, I was involved in an *at-fault* accident recently. Accident is an overstatement as I was pulling out of a parking spot on the street, saw a car whizzing by at the last minute and put on the brake but my front bumper grazed the rear passenger side of the other car. 

I gave him my insurance info and I got his. There was no visible damage to either car, no personal injury (he was the only driver in the car) and I thought that was the end of it. 

He proceeded to file a claim through his insurance company. I should have known better as he told me his gf works for an insurance company. I got a letter from my insurance company asking me to contact them for more info and long story short, I was hit with an *at-fault* and they closed my file as I do not wish to claim any damage to my car.

Couple of questions for you guys

1. Based on the nature of this type of *accident*, what percentage would my premium go up? The claims rep told me it should not go up significantly as they will look at the nature and consequences of the accident prior to calculating the premium. This is my first *at-fault* accident with 15 years of driving experience in Ontario.

2. How long will an *at-fault* incident stay on my file? The claims rep told me it could be up to 6 years but he's not 100% sure himself. 

Lesson learnt: Gotta check the blind spot all the time...


----------



## DanFo (Apr 9, 2011)

6 years sounds about right I think my insurance dropped in the 7th year after my accident....mine was a little more significant though... I know in my insurance now i get a free pass of an at fault......or so they tell me.. I hopefully will never have to find out otherwise.


----------



## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

One in 15 years probably isn't going to hurt much I hope for your sake. If it happened to me, like it could happen to anyone, I would just pay cash.

I've never actually paid for insurance to cover my own at fault accident. Initially this was because the premium was outrageous (more than the value of my vehicle) and now because I've decided I can afford to pay for this if it happens (haven't had an accident in 12 yrs) Well, I have done some minor damage but that usually involved me watching for used parts and fixing it myself. I don't think people would text and drive if they had this mindset that they had to pay for their own mistakes either. I know I'm way ahead with the money I've saved, plus there's no chance of raising the rate because I can't claim at fault. It's also very worthwhile I find to raise the deductible.

What threw me back is that after 3 "not at fault" accident, my premium went up in Québec.. It's pretty hard not to get to get run into at some point in Québec, and how do I get blamed for "not at faults" anyways? However in Europe I get a 50% discount for no claims even though I drive a 350hp coupe..


----------



## slacker (Mar 8, 2010)

I've never been in non single vehicle accident. But for minor fender bender, I always prefer to deal without insurance company involved if possible. I would had apologize profusely, and immediately offer a private settlement. Do your own research, but in many cases, it's more economical for everyone if deal is struck privately.


----------



## canabiz (Apr 4, 2009)

Yeah that was my fault for not talking to the guy (and his gf) and striking up a private deal.

He said he would go home and talk to his gf and assess the damage...i guess i should have been aggressive and offer to cut them a cheque for the appropriate amount required to fix the scratches. 

Oh well, not much we can do about that now. Just hope my insurance company looks at my file and circumstances and be reasonable in the premium calculations. My renewal is not until August so we will see.


----------



## KaeJS (Sep 28, 2010)

Canabiz, don't want to rub it in your face that you made a mistake,

I wouldn't worry too much about the premium. I mean, it's not like you totalled someone's car.

I've never been in an accident myself, so I can't say what the premiums might be like but I imagine it won't be huge beyond belief.


----------



## GoldStone (Mar 6, 2011)

My insurance policy forgives the first at-fault accident. The premiums are not supposed to go up. I've recently made a claim after I damaged the car in a one-car accident.    My first ever accident in 15 years of driving.

Anyone knows if this forgiven accident will appear on my record?


----------



## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

GoldStone said:


> My insurance policy forgives the first at-fault accident. The premiums are not supposed to go up. I've recently made a claim after I damaged the car in a one-car accident.    My first ever accident in 15 years of driving.
> 
> Anyone knows if this forgiven accident will appear on my record?


It's on your record, your premiums just don't go up. 
Some policies charge extra for this feature, how nice of them!


----------



## financialnoob (Feb 26, 2011)

The claims rep was probably misleading you. I don't know how it will impact your insurance, as every company is different and has filed a set of rules to calculate rates, but they do not look at the nature or consequence of the accident. An at-fault is an at-fault is an at-fault. Interestingly, even a 50% at-fault is treated as 100% at-fault when calculating rates.

It will stay on your record for 6 years.


----------



## Toronto.gal (Jan 8, 2010)

MrMatt said:


> 1. It's on your record, your premiums just don't go up.
> 2. Some policies charge extra for this feature, how nice of them!


1. That's right. It needs to be on your record GoldStone, otherwise, how would insurance company know that you had been forgiven once?!  If the damage had not been great, I would not have filed a claim.
2. I pay $50 extra a year, which is very reasonable IMHO [or were you expecting this coverage for free MrMatt?]. But have never used it.


----------



## GoldStone (Mar 6, 2011)

Toronto.gal said:


> 1. That's right. It needs to be on your record GoldStone, otherwise, how would insurance company know that you had been forgiven once?!


Well, I'm sure my current insurance company has a record of my accident. I asked about the public record visible to other insurance companies. If I decide to switch, what will other companies see?

(a) No accident
(b) Forgiven accident
(c) Regular accident


----------



## Toronto.gal (Jan 8, 2010)

I meant to say that 'companies' would need to know about your driving record/accident [not just your company].

I would also say that all claims would be a matter of public record, so I pick b).


----------



## z651144 (Nov 22, 2012)

I was recently in a similar situation where I did not report the accident and I am now wondering what my options are:

I rear ended another car on the 401 and exchanged insurance information with the driver but the damage was so minor (a scrape on both our cars) that the other driver didn't have time to deal with it and just wanted to get to work. He wanted my insurance information so I gave him a copy of my pink insurance slip. I didn't report the accident to my insurance company and completely forgot about it. Now, several months later, I received a voice message from the insurance company telling me to call them as the other driver has filed a claim. 

I am not sure what to do in this case as I failed to report the accident to insurance and am afraid that they will be able to make me pay for the other car's repairs myself and raise my rates. If we both waited four months to make a claim isn't it impossible to verify that the damage done was by that accident (anything could have happened to his car between now and then). 

So my question is: What do I tell my insurance company? Should I tell them that I was involved (the other driver does have the insurance slip after all) but I don't remember the details because it was so long ago. Or should I admit fault (I hit the other driver) and tell them that the damage was minor (a scrape on the bumper)?


----------



## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Toronto.gal said:


> 1. If the damage had not been great, I would not have filed a claim.


This happened to me several years ago at night in a darkened parking lot. Backing out, my rear bumper grazed a car that decided to go past me at the last instance because he was not paying
attention to me backing up out of my parking spot.

Police were not called because the damage to his car was minor, and we exchanged information.
I was assessed to be 100% at fault...unfair as it seemed..but these are things that can happen in parking lot due to poor visibility at night. 

However, I don't know if NOT reporting it is such a good idea, and attempting to settle the damages privately. All the other driver has to do is to take your money and still report his damage to his insurance company. You have no protection when you just exchange some money in a parking lot.

Unless it is a hit and run (on your part), he's got your licence and insurance info. His insurance company will contact yours. Your insurance company may not be too happy with you for not reporting the accident, even if there is no visible damage to your car. All it takes is a scratch on the other car for the other driver to report it.
Just my views.


----------



## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

GoldStone said:


> Well, I'm sure my current insurance company has a record of my accident. I asked about the public record visible to other insurance companies. If I decide to switch, what will other companies see?
> 
> (a) No accident
> (b) Forgiven accident
> (c) Regular accident


They would see it as a "regular accident" within the 6 year period. The forgiveness clause (100%
at fault) is strictly with your insurance company and you generally pay a small premium for that with most insurance companies. All that means is that the accident is recorded against you but the
increased premium (for the insurance company's damage repair expense) is not included in the
premium calculation. 

** All claims and driving records for each driver are accessible by ANY insurance company. **
They know your previous insurer and any tickets or claims history as well. 

On your application to a new insurer through an agent, even if you "don't think you have had a claim or a traffic ticket, in the last X years, they will find out sooner or later, and deal with you..either in
an increased premium.. or possibly drop you due to not disclosing your true driving/claims history. 
If that should happen, you will have a harder time finding insurance from any regular premium
insurer.

With computers and public insurance company accessible records, it's hard to fool them these days.


----------

