Everyone understands the importance of auto insurance, but not many people understand the finer details of what their auto insurance covers. You need to educate yourself on the different types of policies, like liability or comprehensive coverage, and how different areas of the country have different laws about insurance requirements.
You also need to understand what types of accidents lead to your insurance covering the damage depending on what coverage you bought. Hitting a pole is a different situation for your insurance company to evaluate than another driver hitting you in a parking lot. These situations require different types of coverage.
We’ll walk you through several different scenarios when it comes to getting your car repaired by insurance after damaging it. We’ll also give some tips on how you can get better rates on these policies depending on your driving record.
#1 – Hitting a Pole
When you hit a pole, this is typically your fault. This means liability insurance is not good enough to make a claim with your insurance company. You will usually need at least collision insurance to get repairs done through your insurance company after hitting a pole.
Liability coverage is usually limited to getting repairs done after someone else hits you on the road. It’s the most basic type of coverage and many people who can’t afford more comprehensive policies decide to settle with liability coverage.
This will make sure you don’t get fined for not having insurance, but it will put you in a bad spot when you make a mistake and hit something that isn’t covered by liability insurance.
How do you avoid hitting a pole on the road? It may seem like something that doesn’t happen very often, but when you are driving on a dangerous road and you are trying to avoid hitting another object, hitting a pole is a real possibility.
Drunk driving is a huge culprit for running into poles and other objects, and your insurance company is likely going to drop your coverage if you get pulled over while under the influence. If you hurt someone while drunk driving, you could face charges and jail time and it will be hard getting an insurance company to take you back again.
Even if you are completely sober, there are a variety of obstacles on the road you may not be expecting and you will need to get comprehensive coverage for repairs if you hit one of them. One of those unexpected objects could be a wild animal.
#2 – Hitting an Animal
You should always get comprehensive coverage if you live in an area where there are large animals and an increased chance of hitting them. The top roadkill hotspots include mountainous regions, forested areas, and other roads close to farms and large animal populations.
Montana, South Dakota, and Alaska are the top three worst states for animal collisions where you need to be extra careful when driving to not hit an animal. Always pay attention to the road in front of you. Keep distractions like talking, music, and phones out of the way so you can be ready to stop and avoid animals that run onto the road.
Try to stay on main roads in states that have more animals at risk of getting hit. The side roads are convenient to avoid traffic, but they are side roads for a reason. They are out of the way of the people, and natural habitats are being infringed upon by building side roads around them.
State governments need to do better when it comes to infrastructure and building roads around populated areas rather than around animals’ homes.
If you do hit an animal and it does severe damage to you or the car, you need to immediately call the authorities and your insurance company. If you have comprehensive coverage, you may be able to get all of the damage fixed after paying the deductible. If you only have liability coverage, they might deny you repairs because it is your fault for running into an animal.
#3 – Vandalism and Theft
Once again, you can only get insurance to repair your vehicle after a break-in if you have comprehensive coverage. Liability coverage is usually only for getting repairs after being hit on the road by someone else.
Unfortunately, not even comprehensive coverage will pay for any items that weren’t part of the car. If you bring your Nintendo Switch into your vehicle to play during a lunch break, and it’s stolen before you get back to your car at the end of the workday, the comprehensive coverage will only cover the damage to the vehicle, not the video games that were taken.
If you have something that was bought to be installed inside the car, these items will also typically be covered by most comprehensive policies. You need to make sure the price of the repairs is lower than your deductible before filing a claim.
#4 – Natural Disasters
Natural disasters can range from hurricanes to forest fires in your region. This damage will not be covered unless you have comprehensive auto insurance. In some cases, your homeowners’ insurance may cover damage to your property, and cars fall under this category if they are parked in front of your house during a natural disaster event.
If you live in an area with a particular type of natural disaster that is common, talk to your insurance company about what options you have for protecting your vehicle. If you live somewhere with minimal disasters, you may forgo comprehensive coverage because of the extra expense.
For example, living in Florida is going to increase your risk of getting hurricane damage to your vehicle. Living in California sees an increase in earthquakes. You need to think about getting coverage for bad weather events in these areas. If you live in a place like Washington or Oregon, maybe you decide against it. There aren’t many disasters in these areas.
You should now understand comprehensive coverage and how it covers so many different things that happen to your car. Liability coverage will only cover the bare minimum. Weigh the risks and rewards of getting each and decide what’s best for you.
Shawn Laib writes and researches for the auto insurance comparison site, AutoInsurance.org. He wants to help people understand the different types of auto insurance coverages and what they need depending on their situation.
