Megapolis Insurance

For a large part of the U.S. and virtually all of Canada, the ice and snow is moving in for the winter – and it’s a good time to have a conversation with a representative from your auto insurance company.

Why? In order to make certain you’re covered if you wind up sliding off the road.

About Weather-Related Claims

If you are just carrying the minimum liability insurance, you should understand that while you are covered for any damage you cause to someone else’s vehicle, damages to your own is not covered – nor are you protected if you happen to hit a patch of ice and slide off the road and run into a tree or light pole as a result.

If you have full coverage auto insurance however, your insurer will cover the costs of repair or replacement.

If You File a Weather-Related Claim

State laws vary when it comes to what an auto insurer is allowed to do when an insured files a claim. Normally, filing a claim – particularly for an accident in which the insured is determined to be responsible – can lead to any number of consequences. The insurer can raise the car insurance price (and usually does); in extreme cases where the law allows it, an insurance company may cancel a policy or refuse to renew it.

However, a weather-related claim is different in some states. Case in point: Alabama.

Laws in southern states are not usually consumer-friendly as they are in the more progressive states along the west coast or New England; however, when it comes to car insurance, Alabama law is a notable exception.  In Alabama, insurance regulators consider that a weather-related accident is beyond the driver’s control. Therefore, under the laws of that state, an insurer is prohibited from raising premiums, or canceling or refusing to renew a policy because a customer has filed such a claim.

One way that Alabama insurers have gotten around this is to add a premium “surcharge” when a customer has filed a claim for a weather-related accident. However, after this coming February, even this will not be allowed for new policies. Alabama insurers will nonetheless be allowed to discontinue any discounts the customer may have been eligible for by not having filed any claims.

In the Meantime…

As the stormy winter weather makes driving increasingly hazardous, it’s a good idea to have a conversation with your car insurance agency and make sure you understand what is and is not covered under your current insurance policy.

It’s also worth reviewing some bad weather driving tips: remember to go slow and allow yourself extra time to stop; whenever possible, slow the vehicle by shifting into a lower gear rather than applying the brake. If you hit a patch of ice and wind up skidding, steer into the direction of the skid – not out of it.

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