Ohio Auto insurance: What you need to know about not at fault accidents

​ In the state of Ohio, if you're involved in some type of accident, whether or not it is your fault makes a huge difference in your future auto insurance premium. As an agent, I'm noticing more drivers are having issues with this. Part of it is that drivers aren't aware of how at-fault and not-at-fault accidents are classified. But another big problem is that many drivers who were not-at-fault in an accident are being reported incorrectly....


    If you've been involved in an accident the last few years that was not your fault, there are some key things you need to be aware of. Having a not at fault accident incorrectly reported as an at fault accident can raise your car insurance premium dramatically. And sometimes you have to jump through some hoops to prevent that increase from happening.


    This article will help you understand what you need to know and give you some key tips of how to prepare yourself when you're involved in an accident that's not your fault.

Three Major Things you need to do after being in a Not At-fault Accident:


1. Collect and keep all documentation for five years.


    This is by far the most important. Save any and all documents you can related to the accident. You could need these document up to five years from the date of the accident. So be sure to keep them in a safe place. The documentation can be any of the following:

• Police report  - If you don't already have this it should be very easy to acquire.

• Crash report  - In Ohio, you can go online and get your crash report printed in minutes. The crash report will clearly show what fault was assigned to which driver.

• Claim information -. Anything that shows that the other driver's company paid you a liability claim, or any declaration stating that the other driver was at fault is very helpful.

• Your attorney - If you hired an attorney to represent you in this accident, he or she will probably have all the documentation you need to prove that you were not at fault in an accident.

2. Monitor your rate during the renewal period.


     If your auto insurance company is going to raise your rates following an accident, it won't be right away while you're in the same policy period. It will happen when your current policy period expires. If there's an increase, it will show up in your renewal offer that comes just before your current policy period expires.


3. Shop around.


     The way auto insurance companies calculate rates, the degree that they weigh at-fault and not at-fault accidents vary greatly from one company to the next. Thus the more companies that you quote with, the better your chances are of finding a company that beats your current rate. If you have been with the same auto insurance company for a long while, you might be surprised at how other companies stack up.



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