Car Insurance New York NY

Reader’s Question:

How would I know if my own car insurance here in New York covers the damages that I may cause from a borrowed car?

Hank

Southampton, NY

You need to go over your car insurance policy in New York and you must do this before getting into any accident. And remember that you should not just read it, make sure that you understand it as well. If you cause an accident using a borrowed car and you have your own car insurance, review your policy if it will cover that kind of claim. Find out if the claim is within the range of your policy and check also all the exclusions. There are also some conditions that may hinder the approval of this kind of car insurance claim.

Read through your car insurance policy and go to the “Damage to Your Auto” portion. In case the underwriting agreement for this portion states that the car insurance provider will give coverage for direct and accidental loss to “your covered vehicle” or any vehicle that you don’t own, minus the deductible, you have surpassed the first obstacle. Then, any exclusion, if appropriate, would limit the extensive terms of the underwriting agreement. You also have to go over the conditions of your car insurance policy because most car insurance policies state that for non-owned vehicles, your policy would just kick in after the car owner’s insurance pay up to its limit.

Tags: car, car insurance, car insurance policy

Auto Liability Insurance New York NY

Reader’s Question:

I didn’t know that my friend used my car this morning and I was relieved nothing bad happened. If she or somebody uses my car again without my permission and got into an accident, will my car insurance here in New York cover any damage? It also got me to thinking, if someone steals my car then gets into an accident, who pays for any damage?

Santos

Mount Vernon, NY

You will not probably be held responsible for any damages if your friend drove your car without your authorization. If this happens and she has car insurance coverage, her insurance would have to pay for the damages first. However, if she does not have car insurance, you almost certainly have to use your collision coverage out of your own car insurance in New York to pay for the damages to your car and your auto liability coverage would pay for the damages to other properties. Remember that car insurance providers would presume that your friend has your approval to drive your vehicle except that there are apparent signs that you didn’t give authorization or there are justifying situations like she was drunk when she took your vehicle without permission.

On the other hand, if your car was stolen and then the person who took it had an accident and caused damages, you will not be held liable for it; however, you most likely would have to utilize your collision coverage to cover those damages on your vehicle. But don’t expect that the robber has car insurance coverage and has sufficient money to cover for repairs and pay for medical bills. If the robber has car insurance, his insurer will not pay for his unlawful action.

Tags: auto insurance, auto liability insurance

Car Insurance Laws New York NY

Reader’s Question:

I have insured my car in New York for so many years now but until now there are still missing links to me why I got the car insurance that I have now and why should I get my car insured. What does the law of car insurance in New York say?

Sean

Hempstead, NY

Car insurance law in New York means no-fault system which means that nobody is at fault whenever a car accident happens. Both parties have to share with all the expenses needed for both parties’ damages. Since New York is a no-fault system, a driver should get a personal injury protection which will help both parties deal with hospital charges in case of accidents. No-fault system is actually a law made to lessen charges and filing suits for damages caused by the accident except for damages or injuries that are severe or unluckily resulted to death.

The law of New York Car Insurance is important for registration purposes. A driver should get a Liability Coverage with a minimum of limit of 25/50/10 which is also most needed if the cost is for the other driver’s injuries or damages. And if you haven’t gotten a liability insurance you should get an Underinsured or uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage which will help you cover the cost of your injuries. Just like other states, New York also offers a lot of other policies which will eventually be decided by you and only you. The laws with regards to car insurance are not suppressing but instead it protects us even if we don’t want to.

Tags: car insurance, no-fault insurance

Car Insurance Claim New York NY

Reader’s Question:

A friend of mine got into an accident and he’s having problems with the other driver because he told a different story to his car insurance company here in New York that’s why my friend’s claim was denied. What could he have done after the accident so that he wouldn’t have such hard time being paid for his claim?

Emil

Niagara Falls, NY

I’m pretty sure that the other driver’s car insurance company in New York will put up with their policyholder’s account of what happened so that they can ultimately keep away from paying your friend’s claim. This kind of situation comes to pass always and the first thing that the car insurance provider will do is to deny your friend’s claim. The at-fault driver’s insurance provider would undoubtedly accept their policyholder’s stand.

This situation usually happens in such cases that there were no police accident report submitted, which is why calling the authorities to the scene of the crash is very essential. In a lot of states, if a police investigator at an auto crash concludes that the damage is small (normally less than $500), he won’t make an accident report. But the approximation of repair shops for that same car crash may dash into thousands of dollars.

The best thing to do after an accident is to get eyewitnesses and the other driver’s full details. You also have to bring the car right away to a body shop in order to play down any queries about what caused the damage. Take note of all the other party’s address and car insurance policy details, including testimonies and contact details of any eyewitnesses at the scene. In this case, if beyond questions come up later, you hold a better part of proofs collected at the scene to boost your position on how the accident happened.

Tags: car insurance, car insurance claims