Being involved in any kind of car accident is stressful enough without the added drama of making a claim. Our tips will help make the process less painful.
In order to make a claim, first you need to make sure you have all the necessary documents: original police report, copy of the vehicle’s registration card and copy of your driver’s license.
No one likes reading paperwork, but it’s very important you do it. Go over your insurance documents thoroughly to find out exactly what you’re covered for and what you’re entitled to as part of your policy. You don’t want to find yourself in a position where you assume you are covered for something, only to find out you’re not. You will find the insurance company’s telephone number on the front of the insurance card or online.
In case another driver was involved, exchange insurance information with them.
Check to see if your policy includes the following:
Does your policy entitle you to have a temporary replacement vehicle in the event your personal one is out of action?
It’s very easy to think ‘I’ll be OK, it won’t happen to me…’, but unfortunately accidents do happen. It’s important, as horrible as it is, to think about the consequences of a serious accident. Personal accident cover comes with most comprehensive policies, but it’s worth reading over your paperwork to see if this is on yours.
It’s not legal for policies to offer legal cover. Ironic, right? However, most do come with some level of legal cover so check to see if you have it. If you do, in the result of an accident you should call them to get free legal advice.
In the event of you having to make a claim, the policy excess could be key. What is an excess? An excess is the amount you will need to pay if you are going to make a claim, it is basically accepting to pay a small portion of the risk yourself. The amount of the excess differs from one insurance company to the other, therefore you need to check first! You will find the amount of the excess identified in your policy. You only pay the Excess if the accident is your fault.