I bumped a car while trying to merge onto a busy street. I was focused, intently looking backwards, down the road for an opening in the traffic. I assumed the car in front had pulled out as I did.
Instead they were still just sitting there. I bumped their rear quarter panel. I was just barely rolling. I had just started to look in front of me when I bumped their car.
Didn’t even chip the paint on my van’s steel bumper. No damage at all.
Their cheap plastic, rear quarter panel was crumpled.
I already paid the traffic fine. Now I’m wondering how much my premium will go up.
If I check the claim status will it show the repair costs? I guess that will determine how much my premium gets increased. First wreck I’ve had since 1978.
I’d have to register on the State Farm web site. I hate to create an account unless it shows this information.
There are a lot of factors that go into how much a premium increase will be, if at all. State Farm may have an “accident forgiveness” policy in your state.
If you don’t want an online account, just pick up the phone and call your agent, and ask how much they paid on the claim. However, if what you really care about is your premium, it won’t answer that question. I am guessing that not even State Farm will know the answer until the very day they run the numbers to invoice you for the next insurance period. (I also have State Farm and I find my agent very helpful for things like this.)
My mother was in a serious collision in which the at fault driver was insured by State Farm. I know we could see how much was being paid out as a claimant through State Farm’s online system. That is no guarantee that the insured could see the same thing but that would see a bit bizarre.
My mother’s vehicle was totaled. Still there was a repair estimate for $0 showing on the online claim in addition to the payment for her totaled vehicle. Just be aware this is a possibility.
The damage caused is only one factor in underwriting your premium and you wouldn’t be able to predict the premium increase if any based on that information.
Not coincidentally, that part of the car is called the “crumple zone”. The idea is for the car to absorb the energy of the collision, rather than transferring it to the passengers within.
When I had State Farm and had a minor at-fault wreck, their online system showed how much was paid on MY vehicle, but not on the other guy’s. (The agent could look it up and tell me, but it wasn’t available for me to see by myself.)
How much was paid for the last crash doesn’t really factor into your future premiums. The fact that you had the last crash tells the insurer something about the risk that you will have another, but how much the last crash cost tells them rather less about how much the next crash will cost.