What You Need to Know About Auto Insurance Claims in Central Florida

December 9, 2011 by  
Filed under Central Florida Living

car accident

Everyone’s budget is being stressed today, but, like death and taxes, auto insurance is an inevitable expense that you must squeeze into the budget.  We all know that auto insurance is high, especially if you’re under 25 or single. In both of these cases, some auto insurance actuary has determined that the insurance company’s risk is higher than that of insuring a married couple. This does seem discriminatory, but we don’t make the rules.

However, the risk of not having insurance on your car is too great. For one thing, if you are stopped for a traffic violation in Florida and found to be uninsured, your vehicle can be confiscated and impounded on the spot. You’d then be faced with a ticket and fine, impound fees and coming up with the money for insurance before you can get your car back.

Now that you have this auto insurance, you may be in an all-fire hurry to get your money’s worth, right?  However, before you pick up the phone to make an auto insurance claim, take a moment to weigh whether it’s worth filing. Auto insurance companies have a very long memory. If your insurance coverage pays for minor damage, you’ve got to balance this off with the potentially astronomical increase you might realize in your insurance premiums.  For example, windshield repair and windshield replacement is covered in Florida.  However, it may not be the best idea to run to the nearest auto glass business and get a whole new windshield for a rock you picked up on I-4. Sometimes, it’s not worth making the auto insurance claim you are entitled to according to your policy. That $30 repair could very well raise your premium by $5 a month.

Always remember that insurance companies have long memories. The more auto insurance claims you submit, the higher your rate will go. For those minor parking lot encounters, see if you can’t do the repairs yourself. Any time you can avoid submitting auto insurance claims, your insurance rates tend to remain stable. If the repairs are simple and relatively inexpensive, you’re certainly better off doing the repairs yourself, or hiring a local Central Florida car body mechanic with good references to take care of the blemish.

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