OAI Provides Resources on Filing Auto Insurance Claims

Rancho Cucamonga, CA, December 13, 2010 --(PR.com)-- A car accident is often an incident that’s likely to cause a bit of anxiety, and it’s tough to react in a level-headed way. To help drivers, the writers at Online Auto Insurance have published a new FAQ that’s intended to educate them about whether they will need to report a car accident to an insurer.

Many drivers are hesitant to file a claim out of fear of losing their low cost car insurance rates, and it’s tough to determine when filing a report with an insurer is necessary and when it’s not.

But regardless of whether the involved policyholders intend to file claims, it is essential that both parties exchange information including vehicle details, each driver’s contact information, the name of each party’s insurer and phone numbers to contact those insurers, which are usually located on proof of coverage cards. The OAI writers additionally encourage drivers to take pictures of any damages and collect the names and phone numbers of any witnesses in case there ends up being a dispute over fault.

For minor dents, parties likely will decide to settle the damages without the involvement of coverage providers. If this is the case, though, both drivers need to consent to doing so. For other instances in which drivers may choose to not contact insurers, readers can access the full FAQ through the “Learn” page on the OAI website.

Drivers in some states should be aware of laws regarding the reporting of accidents. In Oregon, for example, drivers involved in a crash that involves an injury or death, or more than $1,500 worth of property damage, are legally required to file an Oregon Accident and Insurance Report to the DMV within three days of the accident. Generally, drivers involved in an accident resulting in that much damage will likely want to handle the matter through an insurer anyways.

Source: http://www.insurance.oregon.gov/consumer/auto-insurance/auto-insurance-5a.html

To find more about finding and keeping low cost auto insurance rates, readers can go to http://www.onlineautoinsurance.com/low-cost/ where they will finds FAQs, informative resource pages and a free quote-comparison generator to help jumpstart the shopping process.

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