Yesterday my neighbor backed out of his driveway and hit my car which was parked on the street. No big deal, a bent fender, about $400 to repair. Send the bill to his insurance and that’s it, right?
Wrong!:mad:
He tells me he doesn’t have insurance!:eek:
WHAT?
How could he not have insurance? He’s middle class, has a good job, his vehicle is almost new. He’s married, owns his home, and he’s over 25, and I looked up his driving record on the internet, one minor ticket 4 years ago, that’s it. Auto insurance should be dirt cheap for this guy.
I just don’t carry it, he says.
Personally, I would be scared to death of driving without any insurance. You’re risking everything doing that.
So, before this turns into a rant worthy of The Pit, I ask:
Who here doesn’t have auto insurance, and why don’t you? And how do you drive without worrying?
In Arizona, everyone is supposed to have auto insurance, although naturally not everyone does. I was hit by someone who didn’t have it, and because I carry uninsured motorist insurance, the damages to my car were paid for. Had I not had that insurance, I would have been stuck with a huge repair bill.
I would be scared not to have insurance. However, if your neighbor had insurance, he might be wise to just pay you anyway, because of the deductible and the fact that it would go on his insurance for three years, etc.
Technically, the most important insurance to have is disability insurance. But as I said, I wouldn’t not want to have auto insurance.
Sorry about that, pk. That really bites. Unfortunately you live in one of the three remaining states (WI, TN, and NH) that do not have mandatory liability insurance for all drivers. So, your neighbor is not legally required to have insurance. Sounds stupid that any state would allow drivers on the road without insurance, but AL and MS just went mandatory this past year.
Check with your agent. If you have Uninsured Motorist coverage, that will probably cover it. Unfortunately, you’ll likely be stuck with a deductible for it. However, if he’s not going to pony up for the repairs, if it were me I’d sue him.
I do not carry Auto Insurance because I don’t own a car. But when I did, you can bet I had insurance! And if I ever do again, you can bet I’ll have insurance! Heck, if I ever RENT a car I’ll get insurance!
Not having insurance when you own a car is just asking for trouble (karmically speaking).
If he’s a nice middle class bloke with a newish car…Take him to small claims court!! Often just having someone served at work is enough to embarrass them into coughing up for the damage. I had to do this to a neighbor of mine about 8 years ago when she backed into my legally parked car.
When I was much younger and poor, I went without insurance for a couple of years. Luckily I never had any whoopsies. Now I’m so careful about it I even pay for liability insurance for one of my employees, (because she’s got a lot of meical bills). I bought her 6 months of insurance, sort of a bonus.
And Wildest Bill : I hope if you hit me you can pay for the damage, otherwise I own you. Better yet, start taking the bus because you obviously don’t get The Driving Thing.
Oh, someone will write for you, WB, but the high-risk carriers also charge a lot for the coverage. See, they charge that on their exposure to loss. Given your lousy driving record their high prices to insure you are understandable. Maybe you’re just being flippant, but better hope to hell you don’t cause an accident w/ injuries. Beyond the pain you cause to others you’ll most certainly NOT be happy with the lifetime of serious debt.
Most SAP’s (Standard Auto Policies) carry a modest amount for personal injury caused by uninsured motorists. It’s a drop in the bucket, considering what even relatively minor hospitalization can run.
Never think not carrying insurance gets you a free ride out. The insured motorist’s carrier may pay, but better believe they’ll subrogate, i.e. the insurance company lawyers will be all over you like a cold sweat to make good the damages. You won’t be facing a tired individual who may drop the whole thing and just forget it. Insurance companies employ battalions of people who do nothing but follow up on these kinds of debts. They don’t forget, they don’t give up, they know the system and they’ve seen every dodge going.
No matter how desperately, close-to-the-edge poor I’ve been I’ve never driven w/o liability coverage. Frankly, it’s a crucial part of the responsiblity and privilege of operating a motor vehicle.
I couldn’t live without my insurance. I just got my new policy set up today for my new car…$2000 a year. Ouch. But my last car was totalled, by my unlicensed sister and her unlicensed boyfriend, and they still paid 100%-the $500 deductible. They gave me more than $7000 for my 96 cavalier. How can I not love these people?
Even if the state had mandatory insurance, pkbites would probably still be screwed. The mandatory part is usually just liability, not collision.
Some people are just very confident of their ability to not get in an accident that’s their fault. Given that, insurance sure seems like a waste of time.
Due to some fiscal irresponsibility on my part, I once went 36 hours without insurance in 1995. In 1997, when I bought my car, I had trouble registering it, since apparently my license was suspended by the State of Maryland for that day and a half transgression.
I had to pay almost $200 in fines to get my account settled, and I’ve been paranoid about paying my car insurance bill now.
A year ago, I misplaced a bill until after the due date for renewing my policy. Terrified that I was uninsured again, I called my company (Geico; the 1995 incident was with Progressive) and they said “oh, don’t worry about it. You’re in good standing with us, we’ll give you a 5-day grace period on renewing.”
Uh, this isn’t correct SmackFu. Collision is the part of the insurance that pays to repair or replace YOUR car. Liability covers the injury AND property damage of the guy you hit.
pkbites is right. Liability applies to the damage done to other peoples’ property. Since his neighbor backed into him, liability insurance would have covered it. And yes, that’s why it’s usually mandated by law.
Collision (and comprehensive) coverage may be required as well by lien holders who floated loans to purchase cars. They have an insurable interest in the vehicle’s condition.
The law generally cares about making good on damage done to others; lien holders want their investment protected.
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Some people were very confident they could commit suicide and hitch a ride to eternity on Hale-Bopp, but they still tucked bus fare in their pockets.
“Waste of time” for whom?! The most confident people around can still have accidents; that’s why they’re called accidents. Skid on wet pavement, not enough time or room to maneuver out of clusterf**ks? They happen quickly and they’re called “failure to control”. It isn’t a waste of time for those left to deal with the aftermath. See this thread for a very cogent account of the damage irresponsiblity does to innocent people.
Shared liability is a very common insurance–and legal–reality. Think of it as “split fault”. X happened but Y and Z consequences could have been avoided with adequate care and control. The kind of confidence you’re claiming has a term in pilots’ lingo which I can’t remember offhand. It’s something along the lines of “enough experience to feel confident; not enough experience to know everything can turn to shit in a split second.”
Risks to yourself are your business. Taking responsiblity for your risks to others is a whole 'nother matter.
Wow, I learn things all the time here. I always thought collision covered car damages and liability covered people injuries. Sorry about that.
TVeblen, I wasn’t saying that was valid reason not to have insurance. Not at all. Just that it is a rationale in some people’s minds. Especially cheap people.
Oh. Gotcha, SmackFu. Sorry, didn’t pick up your distinction. (blush) Got a bit testy there for a minute.
FWIW I think you’re right, people using it as a rationale, I mean. Well, that’s why we’re here, fighting Ignorance and all. With a few breaks for flirting, virtual hot-tub parties and assorted stuff in between.
It’s kind of like the lottery, except the lottery has better odds. I can pay $5 for a scratch ticket with a small chance in hell of winning $2500 … or, i can pay $500 for an insurance premium with the even smaller chance in hell that i’ll be liable for an accident causing $250,000 in damage. In my life, i’ve paid about $7-8000 for car insurance and have never had to use it. Doesn’t seem too smart to me to have insurance.
Really? What happens on that fatefull day when you have that one accident. You know the one. You didn’t mean it. It just happened. That’s why it’s called an “ACCIDENT”.
You’ll lose everything. Your house, your cash. EVERYTHING.
I don’t like paying my bills either, but an adult has to do what an adult has to do.Heres some advice: Don’t be a God damn loser! If you drive a vehicle, be responsible and get insurance!
