Will Contacting Your Arizona Insurance Agency After an Accident Increase Your Rates?

When you have been the victim of a car accident, should you contact your insurance company and make a claim? The reason why this is such a common question is that most people are under the impression that if they do so, their insurance rates will automatically rise. This is a false belief in the state of Arizona. According to ARS SEction 20-263, insurers cannot increase the premiums on their policyholders who are involved in accidents that are not their fault. If you see a rate increase after an accident by your insurance company, they are required to notify you and explain why they have increased your costs.

Why Do Car Insurance Premiums in Arizona Increase?

Rate increases can occur as a result of your own doing or from other factors that have nothing to do with your driving habits. Rate increases for reasons that you cannot control include:

• If you live in a region that has many uninsured motorists, insurers are going to look at your environment as a more risky one. To offset the distinction between the insured versus the uninsured, insurance companies will increase rates for insured drivers. It may not be fair but it happens.
• Regions of the country where weather can be extreme, such as areas where there are immense ice and snow for much of the year, will also come with higher insurance rates. Weather is a known contributor to car accidents and if you live in an area where your weather is often inclement, insurance companies are going to hedge their risks of insuring drivers that are likely to get into accidents by raising rates.
• As trends in repair and medical costs increase, insurance companies will adjust their rates to reflect these rising costs.
• If you have a rapid decline or drop in your credit score, this too will impact your insurance rates with resulting in your rates rise.

Therefore, if you are hit and injured by another negligent driver in Arizona, do not hesitate to contact your insurance company for medical costs associated with treatment for your injuries. Additionally, enacting underinsured or uninsured motorist coverage is also appropriate after an accident that was not your fault. As long as you were not at-fault, you cannot be punished by increased insurance premiums for reporting a crash.

The insurance companies are not on the side of their policyholders or others that don’t utilize their services. They are on the side of making money and paying out as little as possible for accidents. They employ tricky tactics to ensure that this model works to their benefit. If your Arizona insurance company tries to convince you that filing a claim with them for an accident that was not your fault will result in an increase in insurance premiums, know that Arizona law makes this claim false.

Do You Need to Speak With an Arizona Automobile Accident Lawyer?

The Arizona serious injury attorneys at ELG focus our entire attention directly on personal injury cases in Arizona. We have a tremendous amount of experience successfully providing legal representation to victims in Arizona who were injured in accidents that were not their fault and we can help you too. The Arizona automobile accident injury attorney at ELG will examine your accident experience and provide you with options for you to pursue the most amount of compensation possible. Call the Phoenix personal injury attorneys at ELG today at (623) 877-3600 to schedule your free consultation.