May 1, 2008
The High Price Of Car Insurance
When people complain about car insurance, they usually are convinced that their insurance company is charging huge premiums and then not covering any claims. You may be surprised that the real problem isn't the insurance companies, but people who try to scam the companies.
In reality, however, most insurance companies are honest. The problem is that there are a lot of car owners who aren't. The high price of car insurance is due, in large part, to the fraudulent behavior of car owners who want to make easy money off an accident. How does someone make money off a car accident? In this article, will explain a few of the ways that scammers commit car insurance fraud.
Suppose your car's engine has just about hit its life expectancy. You wouldn't think of getting it replaced by having a convenient little accident, but some people do. They make claims just as a certain part is wearing out so that they can get a replacement for free.
Some people will actually risk their lives and the lives of others to get a little money. They stage an accident at low speed; if all goes as planned, no one gets hurt. Then they claim serious, long-term injuries. The insurance company has to pay thousands in medical bills. They may even be able to get a civil lawsuit filed and make money off that, too.
People who stage accidents may increase the payoff by convincing accomplices to ride in the car with them. These passengers then also file claims and lawsuits. The passengers take a share of the payoff, and so does the driver.
Probably the most common example of fraud, though, is the person who gets into a minor accident and doesn't want parts just repaired, but actually replaced. They'll do some extra damage to the car to make sure repair isn't possible.
Never involve yourself in an automobile insurance scam. Automobile insurance scams cost insurance companies billions of dollars every year. Many people believe that by cheating the insurance companies they would make huge profits. Various sting operations are undertaken by the Police department to catch the culprits involved in automobile insurance scams.
Because of all this, the insurance companies have to take action. They do so in two ways. First, they include deductibles in the policies they write. A deductible may deter some dishonest people from committing fraud; they don't want to pay the out-of-pocket costs. Raising rates after an accident is also a deterrent. If the person knows they will be paying for the accident for years to come-as many as seven-they may think twice before trying to swindle an insurance company. If someone does commit the fraud anyway, the company may have to prosecute the crime in order not to pay.
It is amazing how many different schemes there are, and how many people are willing to try them. But, it does indeed happen, and it is the rest of us who have to pick up the tab. We shouldn't have to pay for the criminal activities of others, but we do. The insurance quotes you receive are inflated, to some extent, by the misdeeds of others.