Should I Accept My Auto Insurance Company Settlement Offer?

Reader’s Question:

I’m Gayle from Fayette, KY and had a recent car accident. I want to know what actions must I take after a car accident? Do I need to accept a settlement offer from the insurance company?

Gayle

Fayette, KY

Hi Gayle. Under the Kentucky law (KRS 189.635) you are required to call the police to report the accident if someone is harmed or injured; or one of the cars is rendered inoperable. If no police investigation is made and either the car suffers $500 or more in damage expense you must report the incident to the State Police within 10 days. Next, your car insurance company requires you to report the accident to your insurance company and fill out the appropriate forms.

As for your second question, the answer can be a Yes or a No. Car insurance companies in Fayette, KY are notorious for offering settlements that are far less than the injured party deserves. However, if the car insurance company is offering what you feel the car is worth, then you can accept it. It will also be advantageous if you consult an experienced lawyer that is knowledgeable on car accident laws. By contacting an auto accident injury lawyer you may be able to receive a much larger settlement than the car insurance company has offered.

I Need Cheap DUI – SR22 Auto Insurance In Kentucky

Q: Can I buy Kentucky SR22 car insurance coverage online?  I live in Auburn.

A: Yes, you can, although it will depend on the car insurance company you prefer as to whether or not this option is available from them. Most of the larger car insurance companies, and even some smaller local ones, have begun offering Auburn SR22 insurance online. You can find insurance this way pretty easily, by using quote sites and other online information in order to find the best company for you. So, not only is it possible to buy your insurance online, but it is in fact preferable, because you save more money if you buy insurance, or at the very least research it online.

Many car insurance companies are noticing the profit involved in selling car insurance online, and have begun to give out incentives to customers who choose to do so. Usually this is done in the form of online car insurance discounts, where you can get five to twenty percent off of your insurance policy if you choose to purchase your insurance online. Discounts like these are made possible by the fact that companies save a lot of money in the range of offices, labor, call centers, and so on by moving their services online and making them more accessible to internet users.

How Many Traffic Tickets Can I Have Before My Auto Insurance Increases?

Q: How many speeding tickets will it take before my auto insurance premium is affected?

A: It depends both on your position with your auto insurance company, your history with them, your history concerning tickets, as well as the severity of the ticket itself.

If you have been with a car insurance company for a long time, then many times they will have an option for you to bypass any rate raises which come from an accident or a ticket. If you are already getting auto insurance, then it’s possible that you have already used this up if it was ever available to you, although some car insurance companies will allow you to do this as many as two times. You might see similar results if you are considered a preferred customer in your company. A preferred customer is someone with an impeccable record who has almost no chance of filing a car insurance claim. In many companies, it is difficult to have this status taken away from you once you have it.

Some tickets will be more likely to raise your rate than others, especially if you have auto insurance. Running a red light and driving over 15 miles over the speed limit are almost guaranteed, but driving with an expired registration sticker might not have any effect at all.

How Long Will Traffic Ticket Affect My Car Insurance Rates?

Q: For how long will a traffic ticket affect my car insurance rates? I have a dui charge on my record.

A: If you have a moving violation on your traffic ticket, then in most cases it will remain on your driving record for around three to five years. Although many car insurance companies only keep on using it to rate your insurance for three years after the fact, many companies will do this for five years to affect your  insurance. It really depends on the car insurance company you have with. As for your SR22 – DUI charge itself, if you got it because of a DUI, then that will likely affect your insurance rates for around three to five years as well, but it will be on your driving record for 10 years and it is still possible for it to affect your rates during that time.

If you do receive a moving violation, then even if you are guilty you should do your best to try to fight it when you arrive at your court date, because if you don’t you could see your days of cheap SR22 insurance go away. Many car insurance companies enact stiff penalties for people who have moving violations, and things such as speeding tickets have been know to cause rises of as much as 25% in car insurance rates.

Kentucky Non Owner SR22 Insurance – Check These Rates

Q: I have non owner SR22 insurance in Kentucky and recently defaulted on a student loan. I renewed my insurance policy this month and the rates are suddenly much higher. Are these two things related? Is this legal?

A: Since I can’t see your records with your car insurance company, I can’t tell you for sure, but I would say that it is very likely that the two are related, and it is also very legal. Although car insurance companies won’t do this every time you renew your policy, many do check your credit when you get a new policy and do so again once every one to three years. Companies who do this, and most do, are following the lead of companies which sell other types of insurance by using credit reports to compile an insurance risk score.

For those who have bad credit and are excellent drivers, it may seem more than a little unfair for them to be charged so much on their insurance for something they think is unrelated, but many 24 year old male drivers could say the same. What studies show, though, is that if you have bad credit, you will probably be filing a few car insurance claims. People with bad credit also have a history of, like you, defaulting on payments, and car insurance companies want customers they can be sure will pay them every month.

What Happens If My SR22 Car Insurance Payments Are Late?

Q: What happens if my SR22 car insurance payment is late this month?

A: Your car insurance company will decide the outcome of such a situation, and it could prove very risky and expensive for you depending on their policies. Some car insurance companies have grace periods, so if your SR22 car insurance payment is done a few days late, you will still be able to pick up your car insurance coverage from where you left off. However, not every company guarantees that you will be covered for any claims you file during that period of non payment. Also, even with companies who have grace periods, late payment isn’t something you can do without consequences. If you pay late too often, then your car insurance policy could be completely canceled.

As for SR22 car insurance companies who do not have grace periods, it’s even worse for you to pay late. Your insurance could be canceled as soon as the day after it was due, and then the company will send an SR-26 form to your DMV office informing them that you have not paid your insurance. Your DMV will then suspend your license, and any driving you do after that will be illegal. If you want to reinstate your license, you will have to go to your DMV office and pay any fines and fees involved, and this can be pricy. You will also have to get SR22 insurance again.

Is Kentucky Auto Insurance Program Offering SR22 Insurance?

Q: What is the Kentucky Auto Insurance Program, and can I get my DUI  SR22 through it?

A: The Kentucky Auto Insurance Program is a program for people who have trouble finding a company which will sell them insurance, in many cases SR22 insurance. People who can’t find insurance can join the assigned risk pool by filling out an application, and the AIP will then give their application to a participating company. All car insurance companies who are license to sell insurance policies by the state of Kentucky are required to participate in the Auto Insurance Program.

You can get any kind of SR22 coverage through the AIP, but the prices will be higher, so you should only submit an application there if you cannot get insured otherwise. In order to qualify to join the AIP pool, you have to have been rejected by an insurance company within two months of your application, and be able to provide proof that you have been rejected, so you have no choice but to do some shopping around first.

Since you are getting SR22 insurance, remember that there are some time constraints. If you apply to join the AIP pool, it takes about 15 days for you to actually get insured.

Kentucky SR22 Auto Insurance – Where To Get It?

Q: I’ve been turned down by three car insurance companies since the judge told me last Wednesday that I would have to get a SR22 policy in order to get my driver’s license back, and I can’t figure out where I’m supposed to go to get insurance. Is there a special place? Yes, I have 2 DUIs on my record.

A: Not really. No ’special’ place for  SR22 insurance exists, although there are some companies which are more likely to insure you than others. Depending on a company’s policy for risk and the amount of trouble you have had in the past in addition to your need for an SR22 to be filed, your level of difficulty in finding a car insurance policy can change.

Mostly, though, it would make sense for you to start your search among companies which are deemed as high risk. Companies like these thrive on people like you, with your fast cars or your SR22 policies. Because you’re more risky, they can charge you more and make more money. However, although they insure most, they don’t insure everybody.

If you aren’t part of most, then you can fall to the final resort of becoming part of the SR22 assigned risk pool, where you’ll be guaranteed to be insured by a random company, although your premiums will be very high.