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Car Insurance

A Blog About Driving and Car Insurance in the USA

Saturday, September 23, 2017

Avoiding Fender Bender Fraud

Car Accident
Car Accident
 This Avoiding Fender Bender Fraud article was produced by the good folks at Geico:

The shock of getting into a traffic accident, even a minor one, can leave a driver feeling dazed and confused, but it pays to keep your wits about you at all times. Steven Rutzebeck, director of GEICO’s Special Investigations Unit, explains how to foil potential fraudsters in the moments immediately after a car crash. Having dealt with insurance fraud throughout his career, Rutzebeck knows exactly what to look for.

GEICO More (GM): As you know, traffic accidents do happen and sometimes it’s tempting to give the other driver the benefit of the doubt. But is it ever smart to wash your hands of it and just walk away from a car crash, even a minor fender bender?

Steven Rutzebeck (SR): Not a good idea. At the scene of an accident, you need to get a clear picture of what actually happened. Use your cellphone to take photos of the damaged vehicles, license plates, the people involved, even their driver’s license, if possible. A police officer also serves as an impartial observer of the condition of the vehicles and their occupants, so you have nothing to worry about if a problem presents itself later (if the other party changes their story, for example, and all of a sudden it becomes your fault).

GM: In movies and on TV, we often see depictions of a fraudulent claimant hobbling into court on crutches or in a wheelchair, wearing bandages and a neck brace. But does that stuff really happen?

SR: You’d be surprised by what some people try to get away with. But if there’s very minor damage to the vehicle and all the occupants appear to be injured, and to an extent that doesn’t correlate to the amount of trauma created by the impact, you can be sure the injuries either do not exist or are being enhanced.
 
GM: Why do they go to such ridiculous lengths?

SR: These farces are often financially motivated. If someone’s bent on staging an accident and wants to incorporate an innocent party, they usually look for high-end vehicles; they also target elderly drivers. But with a typical fender bender, some people see an opportunity to make money out of it.

GM: In a courtroom, the judge considers many factors to determine who’s telling the truth. With insurance fraud, how can you tell when someone’s fibbing?

SR: As we like to say, “The truth never changes.” If you’re being truthful, minor aspects of the story might change slightly over time, but the basic concept will always stay the same because it’s true and you remember it. When people are telling falsehoods, it’s hard for them to keep all the particulars in line and remember what they’ve said.


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Monday, June 20, 2016

Car Insurance Rates On The Rise

A short segment on rising car insurance rates, from the Nightly Business Report (NBR):


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Tuesday, October 06, 2015

Windshield Repair with Safelite: Very Good Experience

Safelite AutoGlass
Safelite AutoGlass
Since the crack in my windshield was too long for me to make an insurance claim with +GEICO Insurance, I bit the bullet and took my car to +Safelite AutoGlass for a windshield replacement.  I had no choice, as an inspection for my car was overdue, and there was no way my car would pass with the nasty and meandering fissure I had going on.

My experience at the Norristown, PA Safelite location was very positive.

Safelite in Norristown, PA: http://bit.ly/1Mck0J2

I could have paid an extra $25 to have Safelite come to the house, but since I was already quite pissed about having to pay hundreds for the replacement, I decided to conserve and drive to them.

Everyone was friendly and very professional.  I was disappointed that they did not have any free wi-fi available, but I had a thick book and the latest Wall Street Journal with me, and I was able to change the cable TV to my favorite business news station.

I was given a wait time of between 1.5 and 2 hours.  I did some reading for a while, then went for a long walk, as the weather was perfect, and I'm an exercise addict.

Returned from my walk to find my car done; took a little less than 1 hour.  I was thankful that they weren't busy.

I thought my total bill would be around $650, because I assumed I needed glass with a special tint.  I was wrong.  The Safelite folks informed me that I didn't need the special glass, and that my total would be $450.39.  Still way too much, but Yaaaay for having to pay less than expected.

Can I recommend this Safelite location?  Yes.  A+++.

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Learn from my mistakes people.  Fix those windshield cracks before they become costly nightmares!

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Sunday, October 19, 2014

I Don't Understand Insurance Scores

Credit Karma Car Insurance Score
Credit Karma Car Insurance Score
According to CreditKarma.com, my car insurance score is 860, which seems like a good number, but it isn't, because it translates to a "fair" credit rating.

I really don't understand this, because my other scores are high and rated "excellent."  I've been with +GEICO Insurance for many years, and have never been late with a premium payment.  This is just wrong.  I really don't like this!

I'm hoping someone can explain this to me...

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Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Car Insurance: Technicalities Can Catch You!

If you have a car, you have to have insurance-it's the law. But what you don't know about insurance can hurt you. I'll tell you what happened to me. A little over a year ago, I was driving my husband's car (for only the second or third time, ever), and I was involved in an accident. I was making a left turn in front of oncoming traffic, and a Ford Expedition hit the car on the right side near the front tire. My vehicle was picked up, pushed another fifty feet, and came to rest against a cement telephone pole. I was judged to be at fault, and my husband's insurance company dropped his coverage because I was not registered as a second driver on his policy. It turns out that insurance companies frown on that sort of thing.

After the accident, I got a letter from the DMV requesting proof of insurance coverage in force at the time of the crash. I figured, "Hey, no problem- I can fill this paper out, with his policy number, name, and all the other necessary information, and that will be the end of it!" It was far from over. A week later, I got another letter (not quite so nice this time) stating that my driver's license had been suspended because I'd failed to provide proof of coverage.

I was confused. I thought that I had fulfilled all their requirements. However, the DMV had a different take on the situation. They thought that I was trying to get out of my responsibility for the accident, by supplying the insurance information that was in my husband's name. The insurance company was no help, as technically I shouldn't have been driving the car to begin with.

The car was totaled. The other person's vehicle had over $12,000 in damage, which probably contributed to the insurance company dropping my husband's coverage like a hot potato. Since the insurance company only paid the other driver $10,000, that person sued me for the balance. I'm just now paying that off.

I eventually got the situation straightened out, though. I provided an affidavit to the DMV that I had only been driving the car for an emergency reason (I was on my way to the hospital because my sister was having a baby). They then accepted the proof of insurance that I had supplied to them before, and I was able to get my license back three weeks and $350 later.

That little oversight on my husband's part ended up costing both of us. He didn't feel the need to have me on the policy because I didn't drive the car that often, and he thought it would save money to exclude me from it. Turns out, it would have been cheaper to just add me as a driver.

All's well that ends well, however. I am more careful in the way that I drive now, and I am in the process of restoring my "daily driver" - a 1969 Pontiac LeMans. The insurance (which is higher due to the company considering my vehicle a "muscle car", but that's a story for another post) is in my name, so there's no mistaking who's covered in case of an accident.

To sum it up, what you don't know CAN come back to bite you later. If you are married, make sure that you are on the car insurance policy. If I had known the importance of that issue a year ago, I wouldn't have lost my driver's license, or been sued. It may only be a technicality, but it's an important one.

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