Insurance Is All About Fault

Car insurance is not something an American driver can forgo. If you want to drive on US roads without getting into trouble with the police, in nearly all states, you are legally required to have it.

Insurance is a form of protection for both you and other drivers on the road, ensuring that everyone is financially covered in the event of an accident.

Fortunately, cars have been getting safer over the years. However, even if car fatalities and serious injuries are less likely, the costs involved in a car accident can still be significant.

However, what will happen with you and your car insurance in the event of an accident is determined entirely by one principle, determining fault.

Whoever Did It, Pays For It

Insurance coverage in a car accident is straightforward. Assume that two vehicles, both insured, get into an accident.

What happens after the accident is that a conclusion must be reached about who caused the accident.

Once it is determined which driver is responsible for causing the accident—or being at fault—then the driver who is at fault must now pay for the repairs of the other vehicle, in addition to their own.

Of course, it’s not the driver that personally bears this cost; it is the insurance company representing the driver that will pay for this.

This is why both insurance companies in an accident are very interested in arriving at the truth, in determining which driver—and insurer—will be the ones covering repair costs, or, in the case of serious accidents, medical expenses as well.

Determining Fault

There are numerous ways that fault can be determined, although some are definitive, despite not being reliable.

For example, if you get into a car accident, come out to discuss the matter with the other driver, and say, “I didn’t see you there, this might be my fault,” even if that is not the case, you verbally admitting fault at the accident site may be taken as the final arbiter of who is at fault.

The reality may be that the other driver was at fault. Still, if you admit it before any additional investigation or judgment can be made, it may be enough not to require further action.

On the other hand, if both drivers blame the other for being at fault, then an investigation into the exact circumstances of the accident will need to be conducted.

The final results of objective, scientific analysis of data and evidence will render the final judgment.

Presume Nothing

If you should get into a car accident, the best thing you can do is exchange contact details with the other driver if the accident isn’t severe or wait for police and EMS services to arrive.

Don’t discuss fault or even amounts or settlement. For the fairest, honest results, professionals should make these assessments, as legally, you may endanger yourself declaring these results yourself.

Contact us

If you’re looking for car insurance coverage for yourself, we can help. Contact Panorama Insurance Agency Inc. We can look at your driving needs and find the right insurance policy to protect you.