Making An Accident Report And When You Have TO Do It
It is required that you make an accident report every time your car is involved in an accident. Failure to do this could possibly result in an increase to your automobile insurance rates or even cancellation of your automobile policy by your insurance provider. By filing an accident report with the law enforcement organizations in charge of the locale where the accident occurred, you are protecting yourself from unfair civil litigation in the future.
Most automobile accidents that do not result in major injuries or property damage are easy to handle. However, make sure they are handled properly. The first step to properly handling an automobile accident it to make a police report. Make sure that the report contains all information about the accident, including reported injuries. An incomplete accident report could harm you in a subsequent civil trial as much as not filing one at all. An accident report will allow you to later dispute any fraudulent claims made by other parties involved in the accident. Failing to have the report leaves you vulnerable to law suits and could result in major changes, including cancellation to your automobile policy.
If you are involved in an accident, expect your automobile insurance rates to rise. You can mitigate the rising rates by having an official police report of the accident. Because your rates will rise depending on how much money your insurance company has to pay to settle any damage claims, the police report can and will act as a limit to what other parties can claim against you.
It is not that uncommon for someone involved in a minor fender bender type accident to then claim to suffer from massive or chronic injuries as a result. Accident reports contain an account of all injuries and will be your best protection against this type of fraud. Without a police report to enter into the court record, your financial future could come down to a jury deciding who it believes more. Your insurance company will be able to help some in this situation, but if the fraudulent plaintiff is awarded damages that exceed your automobile insurance coverage, you are responsible for the rest.
Keep the consequences of not getting an accident report in mind. Every time you are involved in an automobile accident, no matter how minor, make sure you fill out an accident report with a police officer. It may seem inconvenient at the time. It may make you late to an appointment. But in the long run, it will save you millions of headaches and potentially millions of dollars. Protect yourself from fraud and dishonesty. If you are in an accident, always make sure you file a police accident report.
