So, you’ve found yourself in a minor accident and you get out to assess the damage. To your surprise, it looks as though your car is fine and so is the car of the other driver. The two of you agree that for the sake of avoiding a higher insurance premium, you won’t report the fender bender and you’ll go your separate ways. Is this a reasonable choice, though?
At Andy Mohr Collision Center, we’d like to answer that question for Plainfield, Indianapolis, Fishers, and Bloomington drivers. To learn whether you should document a fender bender, keep on reading our guide today.
What to Do in an Accident
If you’ve been in an accident, the first thing you should do is stop and wait for it to become safe to exit your car. Under no circumstances should you ignore the accident entirely and just drive off—even if it’s clear the other driver was at fault.
Instead, you want to get out of your car and look at the damage, take pictures, and contact the police as soon as possible. It’s also important to get the contact information of the other driver, like their insurance information, phone number, and driver’s license. Be sure to record as much information as possible.
The goal in an accident is to have enough solid information about what happened so that insurance companies can assess the situation more efficiently.
Why Document a Fender Bender?
While a fender bender may seem like fairly minor damage, there are a lot of internal components that you may not initially notice got damaged. What seemed like a small dent may turn into a larger repair that can cost more than your insurance deductibles.
In general, it’s better to err on the side of caution and contact your insurance company to get any serious damage taken care of. Even if your insurance premium goes up, it’s likely less than what it would cost for a full out of pocket collision repair.
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When Shouldn’t You Report a Fender Bender?
While there are very few occasions when you shouldn’t report a fender bender, it’s safe to pay for your own repairs if the damage is done only to your own property. However, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t report a collision if the other driver doesn’t show any signs of damage on their vehicle.
If you end up in a collision where you back up into a part of your own property, then that wouldn’t be something insurance can help you with. In that case, it’s better to pay the damage done to your property out of pocket.
Repair Your Car at Our Collision Center
If you have an insurance claim and need your vehicle repaired, you can come to Andy Mohr Collision Center to get your vehicle taken care of. Our technicians are here to keep Plainfield, Indianapolis, Fishers, and Bloomington drivers on the road for years.
Are you looking to get your car back on four wheels again? Schedule an appointment with us today!
