Whether it’s a fender bender or a pileup, your fault or someone else’s, they just happen.
So when we talk about preparedness during National Preparedness Month, car wrecks should be on your list of scenarios for which you are prepared and ready.
Because how you act following a car wreck won’t just affect the Insurance Claims process, it could affect the safety and security of yourself, your property and your identity.
Did you know that sharing some personal information could put you at risk for identity theft following a car accident?
Thirty-eight percent of consumers believed they should share their driver’s license number with the other driver — one in six would even allow the other driver to photograph the license as a convenient way to exchange information.
So what’s the risk? Many retailers accept driver’s license information to verify your identity over the phone. In fact, your license number is the most common way to confirm your identity after Social Security number and date of birth.
Twenty-five percent of consumers surveyed said they would share their home address.
So what’s the risk? Actually, your home address gives identity thieves the physical location of your mail or garbage, the first place criminals often look for personal financial information. And, now a stranger knows where you live, possibly putting your personal safety at risk.
Twenty-nine percent of survey respondents believed they are required to share personal phone numbers. In fact, sharing your phone number is rarely necessary.
To help you take some of the guesswork out of what to share and what to safeguard following an accident, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners released an app for Smartphones called The WreckCheck App.
It’s free of charge!
Works for iPhones and Android phones
Outlines what to do following an accident
Walks you through process of creating accident reports
Tells you which pictures to take
Helps document damage
Assists in attaining and sharing only necessary information
When it comes to auto insurance, you probably consider coverage that will pay you back if your car is damaged. What you might not think about is auto insurance covering damages to others if you’re at fault in an accident. If you are determined liable for damage to the others’ property, or even bodily injury, your auto policy should help protect you against financial disaster.
Every state has a required minimum level of insurance for damages you may be liable for in an accident. Many insurance providers tout cheap rates based on the “state minimum” levels. The tough reality is that these minimums have not been reviewed in many years and do not accurately reflect the costs of today’s automobiles.
California Casualty is working to address such issues before there’s a problem.
One of our customers illuminates the issue. She was determined at fault in a multi-car accident. Her property damage liability limit was $25k. During the claim settlement process, we advised her that it was possible her minimum coverage might not cover all the damage – and she might be responsible for the remaining balance. The customer was frantic with worry she’d owe thousands of dollars in additional damages – out of pocket.
Fortunately for her, our claims team was able to settle for an amount that fell within the customer’s coverage limits.
California Casualty is here to help you make the right choices. We’ll help you evaluate your current liability coverage amounts. Hopefully you never find yourself in a situation where you’re liable for significant property damage or bodily injury.
Will you be able to rest easy knowing that the insurance policy you chose has you covered?
Here at CalCas – we care about our customers. Even if you’re not a customer, we care about you too! That’s why we wanted to share some tips from the NHSTA for caring for your car in the winter.
The first thing you should do is get your car serviced and inspected well before the really cold temps arrive. You want to make sure all routine maintenance has been handled – and any repairs that may be needed are made.
A very common problem in cold temperatures is the painful discovery of a dead battery. In frigid temperatures, batteries lose power. It also takes more power to start your car in colder weather, so this is doubly important. Most auto parts shops will check your battery for free these days, so there’s no reason not to know you have a good battery going in to the winter months.
You should also fill your windshield wiper reservoir before bad weather hits. I’d recommend filling it regularly, because few things can make driving more difficult than a dirty windshield. If you buy the kind with anti-freeze in it, it can double as a defroster for those days you’re forced to park out in the snow or ice!
