Very few of us are ever involved in car wrecks and as such, if you find yourself in an accident, you may be pretty flustered.  Knowing in advance what to do may help you navigate those first few minutes after the collision.  These 5 steps are the highlights of what you should do if you find yourself in an auto accident.

Most publications and writers on this topic will put calling the police at the top of their list of things to do.  I don’t disagree completely, but there are some caveats.  If the accident is your fault, and there are no injuries and the damages are minor and you think you may be willing to pay for the damages yourself, then not calling the police might work out in your favor.  Now I know that’s a lot of ands followed by a might so let me explain further.  In NC you will be charged insurance points for accidents deemed to be your fault.  If the accident only involves property damage and the total damage is under $1800 and you have no other tickets or insurance points on your record, then you will not be charged for this accident.  But, if all of those conditions are not true and you want to avoid the insurance points, not calling the police will give you some additional hope.  The insurance company would only find out about the accident if you file the claim or if the accident shows up on your motor vehicle record.  Calling the police means that your record will indicate you were involved in an accident.

The second step to cover is avoiding additional damages and risks to you.  This means you should move your car away from the roadway to avoid additional accidents.  Keep yourself safely away from the street or highway while you are out of your vehicle.

The third step to remember is to get the correct information about the other driver.  Of course this becomes even more important if you don’t think the accident is your fault.  You will need to get the other driver’s name, driver’s license number, phone number and insurance information and license tag number.  In addition, be sure to verify the name of the owner of the other vehicle.

Step four covers documentation.  Take as many pictures as you think you need to well document the damages to each car as well as the accident site.  Find and interview any witnesses and be sure to get their full names and contact numbers so that you can reach them later if needed.  The rule of thumb here is that the more information you can obtain, the better.  Clinard Insurance Group customers can request a vehicle claim kit, complete with a camera and other tools to help you in an accident.  Click here to learn more about this kit.

The last step is to file an accident report.  If you feel that you are not at fault, then call the other party’s insurance agent and file a claim with them for your damages.  Ultimately you can expect the insurance company to contact you and perhaps ask you to provide a recorded statement of what happened.

Clinard Insurance Group is an independent insurance agency located in Winston Salem, NC.  We write thousands of personal auto insurance policies for clients all across NC.  We can also help you with your home insurance and your life insurance needs.  Give us a call, toll free, at 877-687-7557 or visit us on the web at www.ClinardInsurance.com.  

Paying your insurance bills can be more than just painful, it can also be a hassle.  These days more and more people are opting for a monthly bill option on their insurance policies; from home  and auto insurance to commercial insurance.  But this option is not without its costs and its risks.  First of all, in NC, all insurance companies are allowed to charge up to $3 per installment on each bill they send out.  And as a result, almost every insurance company does charge the full $3 on each installment.   If you have several policies that are billed separately on 12 monthly bills, this can add up pretty quickly. 

The other problem with monthly bills that few people think about is the risk to you of missing one.  If you are out of town, or your mail gets lost, you could forget to pay the bill on time and have a lapse in your coverage.  What if you have the worst loss of your life during this lapse time?  Think how you would feel if you had paid for your insurance for years and years and then the one time you missed a payment your house burned?  That would be tough to digest both financially and emotionally.

There is a solution to this issue that is easy, safe and can save you money.  It is the EFT option.  EFT stands for electronic funds transfer.   This is where the insurance company automatically drafts your checking or savings account each month for the monthly premium due.    Insurance companies love EFT because it saves them money on printing, mailing and collecting the monthly bills.  Therefore, in almost every case, they waive the $3.00 per installment service charge.  More than that though, this option has other benefits for you.  I mentioned the installment fee being waived, in addition you can have the peace of mind of knowing that you don’t have to worry about your insurance being cancelled because a bill was lost or mislaid.  As long as you keep an adequate balance in your account to cover the monthly bill, it will be paid whether you are at home or on a sunny beach in Tahiti.  Either way, you have saved yourself the trouble of keeping up with it, writing the check and having to get it in the mail on time.

One other advantage of the EFT program is that you can pick the day of the month on which the money will be drafted from your account.  That means if you are always paid on the 15^th, you could choose the 16^th or 17^th as your draft date.  You pick what works best for you.   Now the one concern about EFT that I occasionally hear from folks is that they don’t want to let an insurance company get their hands on their bank information because they just don’t trust them to play fair.   In the 15+ years that we have been working with insurance companies and our clients with EFT programs I have never experienced a situation where someone was ripped off by the insurance company because of this bank account access.  Really, my experience in this area says that these fears are not realistic.

If paying by credit card is a good option for you (why not get the airline miles or other rewards  if you can?), then you will be glad to know that most of our insurance companies have this option as well.  They will simply charge your credit card each month for your monthly bill amount due.   And for those of you who prefer to pay your entire year’s premium up front, we do have a company that offers a 10% discount on some policies for full payment.  If any of these options sound good to you and you would like to stop licking stamps and worrying about missing a bill in the mail, please give us a call today and let us show you the many options you may have and how to take advantage of them.

At Clinard Insurance Group, located in lovely Winston Salem, NC, we want all insurance consumers to be informed purchasers.  We work hard to help educate the general public about their insurance options and choices.  If we can help you with your auto insurance, homeowners insurance, life insurance or even your business insurance, please call us, toll free, at 877-687-7557 or visit us on the web at www.ClinardInsurance.com.