Will my car insurance go up if someone hits me?
If you live in a no-fault state, your car insurance will go up if someone hits you because no-fault state laws require that each driver be responsible for their own coverage. However, in a tort state, your car insurance may not go up if someone else hits you if that driver is determined to be at-fault. Refer to this guide to learn more about when car insurance will go up if someone hits you.
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Content Writer & Educator
Jessica Sautter is a Content Writer for CarInsuranceCompanies.com with a Bachelor’s Degree from Eastern Michigan University in Elementary Education with a Major in Reading and a Minor in Mathematics.
Jessica Sautter
Licensed Insurance Agent
Brandon Frady has been a licensed insurance agent and insurance office manager since 2018. He has experience in ventures from retail to finance, working positions from cashier to management, but it wasn’t until Brandon started working in the insurance industry that he truly felt at home in his career. In his day-to-day interactions, he aims to live out his business philosophy in how he treats hi...
Brandon Frady
Updated November 2024
When you have a car accident, one of the first things you might think of is whether or not your insurance rates will go up. If the accident was not your fault, most would think this would have no effect on your rates.
However, this is not always the case. Read below and find out what you need to know about fault and no-fault accidents.
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- Many factors work together to determine whether or not an accident that was not your fault
- There are currently 12 no-fault insurance states in the USA
- If you are hit by someone without insurance, you will most likely have to turn the claim into your own insurance company
No-Fault States
Many factors work together to determine whether or not an accident that was not your fault will affect your rates. The first thing that would likely have an effect is living in a no-fault state.
For insurance purposes, a no-fault state is one that does not consider who was the cause of the accident. In most cases, you will file your insurance claim with your own company, regardless of who was the at-fault party.
In most cases, you will file your insurance claim with your own company, regardless of who was the at-fault party.
There are currently 12 no-fault insurance states, and every state’s law regarding this type of insurance is different. It is more likely that your insurance rates will increase with any reported claim in states like these.
However, if one person is found to be negligent and medical injuries are excessive, the fault can then be placed on the person who caused the accident.
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Your Insurance Company
Whether or not your insurance rates will be affected by an accident that was not your fault will largely depend on which insurance company you have.
Some insurance companies will always charge something for accidents that appear on your driving record.
However, an accident that was your fault will certainly have a greater impact on rates than an accident that was not your fault.
In other cases, insurance companies will increase rates for not-at-fault accidents if the claim you filed was over a certain amount.
For example, many insurance companies will charge an increase in your premium if you filed an insurance claim that exceeded $1000.00 with the other person’s insurance company.
In addition, if your driving record shows that you’ve made several claims over the past few years, your new insurance company could consider you to be high-risk and charge increased premiums.
It is a good idea to contact different insurance companies to compare their procedures to either charge or not to charge for accidents that were not your fault.
This aspect of choosing a car insurance plan is one that not many people will consider when getting a quote or asking questions.
Hit-and-Run Accidents
In cases where you are hit by another driver who flees the scene of the accident, you may have no choice but to file an insurance claim on your personal uninsured motorist insurance.
Another very common occurrence that is similar to a hit and run is when your car is hit in a parking lot.
Most of the time, the owner of the car is not even near the vehicle when the hit occurs.
Most insurance companies are used to processing claims such as these.
Whether or not this affects your premium will depend on the protocol of the insurance company.
Drivers with No Insurance
A study conducted by The Insurance Research Council found that approximately 12.6 percent of drivers in 2012 had no car insurance coverage.
If you are hit by someone without insurance, you will most likely have to turn the claim into your own insurance company.
This will usually have some impact on your insurance premiums.
However, the severity of the rate increase will depend on your insurance company.
If you have an accident with someone who is insured but is considered under-insured, you would have to file the amount of the property damage or medical bills that are not covered by the at-fault driver’s insurance.
Cases like these can certainly have an impact on your insurance rates even if the accident was not your fault.
The most important thing to remember is that having a great insurance company can make all the difference in how your rates are affected.
Asking the right questions can help you save money in the long run and prevent an unpleasant claim experience when the unthinkable happens.
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