Laura Adams
Laura Adams, senior insurance analyst at InsuranceQuotes.com. She also is host of the free “Money Girl” podcast, which has been downloaded more than 40 million times.
Car insurance bills may rise more than 40% after a low-risk driver has an accident that injures a person or causes property damage. The average nationwide increase after a claim of $2,000 or more is 45% for bodily injury and 41% for property damage. Filing a second claim in a year results in an average premium increase of 93%.
Average rate hikes are much higher in some states—76% in Massachusetts…75% in California…62% in New Jersey…51% in North Carolina…48% in Minnesota…45% in South Dakota…42% in Iowa…40% in both New Hampshire and Washington State…and 38% in Virginia.
The states with the lowest average rate hikes after an accident are Maryland with a 22% increase…Michigan, 23%…Montana and Oklahoma, both 25%…Mississippi, 26%…Nebraska, New York and Missouri, all 28%…and Alabama and Maine, both 29%.
Self-defense: Go to insuranceQuotes.com/press-room to see what premiums average in your state before and after a claim. Compare that with what you are paying. Then shop around—some companies offer lower post-accident rates to new customers.
