When there’s a car accident involving two or more parties, in most cases at least one person will be found liable.
So if you’re the one who’s determined to be responsible following a thorough investigation, what will happen next?
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It depends on where you live
Different states have different rules on liability in the case of auto collisions, and a few including Pennsylvania, New York, and Florida are no-fault states.
For those based in no-fault states, the losses incurred by each party will be covered by their respective insurance deal.
For those based in fault states, the person who’s liable for the accident will need to pay out the costs incurred by the other parties from their policy alone.
Car cover does have limits
Don’t just assume that if you’ve got car insurance, this agreement will cover any of the expenses you’ll be presented with as the at-fault party in a car accident.
Limits are set on most policies, whether up to a specific amount of compensation or for the type of loss that’s factored in.
Read the small print and you’ll know what’s included in your current deal, and what isn’t. You’ll also have to pay any deductible that applies before your insurer will cough up.
You’ll likely need to pay more for your insurance
Car insurance companies include various things in their calculations when coming up with premium prices, and if you’ve got an accident on your record, it’s almost impossible to avoid paying more when you get a new policy.
The good news is that by comparing the cheapest car insurers, you can still get a better deal, so you aren’t just stuck paying over the odds for cover, whether or not you were to blame for the accident.
Fault is not a binary state
You might think that you are either responsible for a car accident or entirely innocent of any wrongdoing, but there’s usually room for a gray area to exist in determining this.
That may mean you’ll have your degree of responsibility calculated as a percentage, and this in turn will determine the proportion of the total losses that you need to cover.
This kind of complex wrangling normally requires a lawyer to get involved on your behalf, which could help reduce the percentage of fault that’s assigned to you after a car accident.
Your drivers’ license could be revoked
Depending on the rules of the road that apply in your area, and the circumstances surrounding the crash, you could have your right to drive withdrawn by the authorities.
This is virtually guaranteed in the event that the cause of the crash was determined to be a DUI, in which case you’ll also face criminal charges, which can have additional ramifications.
Furthermore, if you do have a driving conviction on your record after being at fault in a collision, you’ll need to file an SR22 form before you can take out any car insurance policies in the future. This is basically a scheme that guarantees you’ve got the required level of cover to protect you and others even if you’ve previously been convicted of a driving-related offense.
Wrapping up
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the prospect of what comes next after a car accident, and there’s no question that being found liable for the losses involved is one of the worst outcomes available.
Even so, you don’t need to despair too much, because a good insurer will see you through, and with modern comparison tools it’s possible to compare quotes to get an affordable deal on cover further down the line.
