What should you do if you get into a minor “fender bender”? Are there things that you shouldn’t do? State Farm has created a quick list of advice about what to do after you get into a minor auto accident. You might want to bookmark their blog, just in case you need fast access to their advice.
The advice from State Farm Insurance is in a blog post called “The Do’s and Don’ts of a Minor Car Accident”. It gives you specific answers about what to do, and not to do, after you have gotten into a minor car accident, or “fender bender”. Many of them seem like common sense. However, shortly after an accident, it can be easy to become confused about what to do.
There is something missing from their list of advice that I would like to point out. It is a very good idea to have auto insurance coverage before you get into an accident. Not all states require drivers to carry auto insurance coverage, but, that doesn’t mean you are safe to avoid it.
Car insurance can give you some financial help to cover the cost of the damage that you do to the other driver’s car. It can also help pay for the medical bills that come from the injuries experienced by the people in the other driver’s car. Without it, you will end up paying out of pocket for those expenses.
Beyond that, State Farm has a lot of really good advice to give. They suggest that, after you’ve gotten into a minor car accident, it is a good idea to call the police. A police report can help your insurance agent to handle your car insurance claim. An accident report that is written by a police officer can, potentially, protect you from issues that could pop up later on. It takes away the “he said, she said” aspect of things. Something is either in the police report, or it is not.
Another good piece of advice is to make sure you don’t forget to contact your insurance agent. You have to remember to file a claim about the accident. The sooner you do that, the better things will be. Your insurance agent may have questions for you about what, exactly, happened. It will be easier for you to remember details shortly after the event than it will be to try and recall things months later.
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