Don’t Get Caught in the Headlights With No Comprehensive Coverage

Hitting a deer is a scary, often traumatic – and expensive – event. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, deer-related accidents cause an estimated $1.1 billion in vehicle damage every year. However, if you’re protected with a smart auto insurance policy that includes comprehensive coverage, the resulting damage and other expenses are considered covered losses.

How am I covered?

When you opt to include comprehensive coverage and collision coverage in your auto insurance policy, you’re covered against a wide variety of unexpected accidents:

• Collision coverage offers financial support when your vehicle sustains damage by colliding with an object on the roadway. If you crash into another car, a barrier or if your car unintentionally rolls or flips and sustains damage, you can likely receive coverage for the repairs after meeting your deductible.
• Comprehensive coverage offers coverage for nearly everything other than collision. If your car is stolen, vandalized or struck by falling objects, or if it catches fire, the windshield shatters or you strike an animal – all you’re financially responsible for is the deductible. Your insurance carrier likely will cover the rest.

Note that if your vehicle makes contact with the deer, your insurance carrier will likely process your claim as a comprehensive loss. If you swerve to miss an animal and wreck your car, it will likely be processed as a collision loss.

Will my rates go up?

It depends on the specifics of your accident, but probably not. Hitting a deer or other animal that dashes out in the middle of the roadway without warning is far different from colliding with a tree or other static object. However, it is important to note that if your accident is processed as a collision claim, your rates are more likely to be impacted than if it is processed as a comprehensive accident.

How can I prevent hitting deer and other animals?

If a deer runs out in front of your car, unfortunately, there’s almost nothing you can do to prevent a collision. It’s likely safer to simply allow your vehicle to hit the animal as opposed to swerving to miss it. Jerking the wheel could cause you to drive right into oncoming traffic or run off the roadway and lose control of the vehicle. This puts you and others in much greater danger, and it could result in higher insurance rates later (because it could be processed as a higher-risk collision claim).

Here are a few tips for reducing your chances of encountering deer on the roadway:

• Don’t speed. You should have as much reaction time as possible should a deer dash into your path, plus it’s easier to see what’s on the side of the road if you’re traveling at slower speeds.
• Limit travel on roads surrounded by woods between dusk and dawn. Deer and other nocturnal animals are most active when your vision is most impaired.
• Use your high beams when possible, especially in areas known for having a higher deer population.
• Keep your eyes peeled for deer crossings and use your peripheral vision to spot shiny yellow dots looking in your direction (deer have highly reflective eyes that are easy to see at night). If you see one deer on the side of the road, be prepared to encounter others.

It’s much smarter to play it safe, drive slowly and never try to swerve to avoid missing a deer or other animal on the roadway. As long as you’re covered with comprehensive and collision insurance, you can let your policy be the hero.

Source: AutoInsurance