I live on a narrow street and someone parked their car badly and I ended up scraping a wall trying to avoid it. The side of my car is pretty messed up, paint scrape and 3 dents/tears in the metal (might even need to replace a door) and I need to get it repaired, but I'm not sure if it would be cheaper to file a claim or pay out of pocket for the repairs (I'm thinking in terms of the long run). I would have to file an "at fault" since nothing was damaged/hurt but my car. If I do file a claim, should I file it under me (a teen) or my father? He's worried it will ruin my insurance record, but also doesn't want his insurance to go up either… Just wondering generally if and how much a minor at-fault accidents by a teen who's only been driving a few years will affect insurance vs a middle aged guy who's been driving for decades with very few if any accidents… thx :,)
Teen driver in minor at-fault accident (scraped wall), should I report?
byu/rexofmars inInsurance
Posted by rexofmars
3 Comments
So insurance fraud? Get an estimate and decide if you want to file a claim then. No one is gonna be able to tell you exactly how much your rates might change by filing a claim.
Anytime you have an at fault collision loss and the insurance company pays out to repair your vehicle, you are gonna see an increase when your policy renews. As far as who you report as the driver when it happened… its never good to lie as that would be insurance fraud.
You could take the vehicle to a shop to get an estimate and if you can afford to pay for the repairs out of pocket.. go that way to avoid a claim
Have your dad call your insurance agent. If you don’t have one it’s going to come down to the state you live in and if you have your own insurance or you are still on your dad’s policy.
In MA chances are this would put 4 points on your license causing a rate increase. As a teen this would put your ins over 10 grand a year till your 25, just a guess but would cost you 10-20 thousand Xtra in auto ins over the next 6 years. Being a teen in MA and an at fault accident means getting familiar with BUS schedules.
1st do you have collision? Is there a loan on the car? Are you on your parents ins? Does your dad have accident forgiveness? How much to fix the car? Was there a police report?.
I’m sorry this happened to you, take solace that no one was injured, learn from your mistake, it happens to everyone. The financial ramifications on insurance for teens ( in MA) only state I’m familiar with. Accidents and tickets will take years to recover from when you’re a teen. There are many factors at play when weighing this decision. I hope it works out for, remember your young this to shall pass.