# How to get insurance if you have had a car accident?



## LiamG (3 Sep 2003)

Hi

Does anyone out there know the best way to get car insurance if you have had an accident. Many companies will not quote. Are there "specialists" in the field? I find it hard to believe that no-one will quote you at all (never mind how expensive it is!)

Thanks


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## stobear (3 Sep 2003)

LiamG
I was in a similar situation, except the car was stolen, nobody and I mean every crowd in the book ignored me, then AXA came up trumps. Apart from that it's just a large coffee and a yellow pages and patience.

Sorry cant be of more help
Stobear


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## Buddy (4 Sep 2003)

*Accident*

It will probably depend on how much was paid out on the claim. Do you have any idea how much this was?

Did you have insurance in your own name at the time of the accident at the time of the claim of were you a named driver?

What age are you?


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## Kitty (4 Sep 2003)

*Re: Accident*

St. Paul, as far as I know, insure the 'more at risk' market. You can try them on www.stpaulinternational.c...nt/ireland


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## LiamG (4 Sep 2003)

*Re: Accident*

I was a named driver - the claim was (relatively) small (7k)- I received the 7k as settlement
I will not bore you with the details - suffice it to say I was not at fault (although that is disputed!) and now no-one seems to want to touch me
Surely this happens all the time - drivers who have been in accidents must be getting insurance from somewhere


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## Buddy (4 Sep 2003)

*Accident*

Quote     drivers who have been in accidents must be getting insurance from somewhere 

Yes. From their existing Insurers. 

Liam, Direct Insurers will not touch you as you 'fall outside their underwriting criteria', in other words you don't fall into the cherry picking category.

Start with the company that paid out the claim as you were Insured with them. Failing this, €7k does not seem to me like a figure that should preclude you from gaining quotations, unless, there are some other mitigating circumstances that we are not aware of.


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## rainyday (4 Sep 2003)

*Re: Accident*

Hi Liam - Am I right in thinking you made a claim against your own comprehensive insurance policy for damage done to you/your car by another driver? [Just trying to get this straight in my mind]


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## daltonr (4 Sep 2003)

*Re: Accident*

Like everything else in the insurance industry, they operate a nice little scam on this one too.

If you renew your policy today and then have an accident tomorrow, your "years of claim free driving" clock doesn't start to tick until you NEXT renew your policy.

So when you renew NEXT year it will be on the basis of
0 years claim free driving, the following year (2 years since the accident) the insurance company will tell you that it's been 1 year since the accident.

So even when your 5 year wait to shop around is up, you may have another year of waiting.

And they wonder why people make exagerated and fraudulant claims.  Because they've learned how to be underhanded from the companies themselves.

-Rd


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## Buddy (4 Sep 2003)

*Accident*

daltonr said - If you renew your policy today and then have an accident tomorrow, your "years of claim free driving" clock doesn't start to tick until you NEXT renew your policy.

So the suggestion would be for the Insurer to remove the no claims bonus from the date of the accident.

The client would therefore pay the Insurer the difference between the renewal premium, with and without the no claims bonus in the year that the accident occured.

Is this beneficial?


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## daltonr (4 Sep 2003)

*Re: Accident*

This is distinct from the No Claims Bonus.

A no claims bonus certificate shows your level of discount, and "actual number of years" since a claim.  These can be different.

When working out the "Acutal Number of Years" they ignore potentially a full year of claim free driving.  And start the clock ticking at 0 on the next renewal.  Meaning a person is stuck with them for not 5 but up to 6 years.

Anyway, compared to notching up the quote by 60% for people living on the wrong bank of the same river, this issue is small potatoes.

-Rd


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## liamg (5 Sep 2003)

*Thanks*

Thanks all for your input


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