Does car insurance cover a hit-and-run?

Will your insurance cover a hit-and-run? If you have been the hit-and-run victim because the driver was driving without insurance and are worried about how your car repairs will be paid for, it’s important to determine if your claim will be approved. 

If you have the right auto insurance coverage, you will be protected even if the person who runs into you doesn’t have insurance.

Continue reading to learn more about which auto insurance coverages will protect you in a hit-and-run, how hit-and-runs will affect your auto insurance rates, and other important information about hit-and-run car insurance. 

Auto Insurance That Covers Hit-and-Runs

Does car insurance cover hit-and-runs? The car insurance coverage that will always cover damages from hit-and-runs is collision insurance. 

What is collision insurance? Collision insurance pays for any damages to your car from a collision with either another vehicle or an object, like a mailbox. However, collision insurance will not pay for any injuries that you sustain. 

Another coverage that may cover hit-and-runs is uninsured motorist coverage. If you have both bodily injury and property damage uninsured motorist insurance, your medical and repair bills will be taken care of. 

The catch is that, depending on your state, hit-and-runs may not be covered under uninsured motorist insurance. So make sure to check your state laws and your insurance company’s fine print to see if it is covered in your state. 

Your state may have a victim compensation program if you don’t have great medical insurance to cover your medical bills after a hit-and-run. If so, you can appeal to them for help covering some costs. 

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Auto Insurance Rates and Hit-and-Runs

If you have been the victim of a hit-and-run, you are probably wondering if your insurance rates will increase when you make a claim on your auto insurance. Typically, your insurance rates won’t increase because hit-and-runs are generally not the victim’s fault.

The exception will be if you have been involved in multiple hit-and-runs. Then, you might see a slight increase in rates because your insurance company will likely view your area as high-risk and adjust your rates accordingly. 

As well, keep in mind that if you have a high car insurance deductible, you will receive less payout from your insurance company because you need to pay the hit-and-run deductible before your insurance coverage begins. 

What to Do After a Hit-and-Run

If you have been involved in a hit-and-run accident, there are some steps you should take to collect as much information as possible to give to your insurance company. The information you should try to get includes the following: 

• Any surveillance camera footage, if available
• Contact information of any witnesses
• Description of other vehicle and driver, if possible
• Description of how the accident occurred
• Names/badge numbers of police
• Pictures of the damage to your car 

The more information you have, as well as supporting documentation from the police, will help make sure your claim gets approved quickly. 

How Often Hit-and-Runs Happen 

On average, over two thousand fatalities from hit-and-runs occur yearly, and thousands more non-fatal hit-and-runs happen yearly. 

If you don’t have insurance coverage that will protect you during a hit-and-run, you may be wondering if you should pay more to be protected. Generally, hit-and-runs will be more common in areas with a higher number of uninsured drivers.

The best way to determine if you are more likely to be hit by an uninsured driver is to check your state’s statistics. If your state has a high number of uninsured drivers and a high number of hit-and-runs compared to other states, you should consider investing in hit-and-run insurance. 

What is a miss-and-run accident? 

A miss-and-run accident is when the other driver causes you to crash into something without actually physically crashing into your car, and then the other driver simply drives off. 

For example, say a car swerves into the road in front of you, causing you to swerve out of the way to avoid running into them. Unfortunately, you hit the guardrail to avoid hitting them. Because it is technically the other driver’s fault, a miss-and-run is treated the same as a hit-and-run. 

If you intend to file a claim for a miss-and-run under your uninsured motorist coverage, be sure to check your policy language to determine contact requirements. Some states require contact with the fleeing vehicle to be covered as a hit-and-run.

What happens if you hit a parked or moving car and run? 

Hit-and-runs are illegal, as it avoids financial responsibility for the damages caused. No matter what state you live in, you must stay at the scene of the accident to exchange insurance information and call 911 for any injured parties. This applies to whether you hit a parked car in a parking lot or a moving car. 

If you leave the scene of the accident and the authorities discover you were the responsible driver, you will be charged with a crime in addition to having to pay for the other driver’s medical and property damage bills. 

You may also have to carry high-risk auto insurance after a hit-and-run and will see an increase in insurance rates. 

Full Coverage Auto Insurance Monthly Rates: One Accident vs. Clean Record

The bottom line is that while a driver’s first instinct may be to flee the scene of an accident because they want to avoid expensive bills or don’t have insurance, the consequences of being caught are much more expensive. Hit-and-run drivers risk jail time, suspended licenses, and more. 

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The Final Word on If Auto Insurance Covers a Hit-And-Run

If you live in a state with a high number of uninsured drivers who are more likely to hit you and drive off because they don’t have insurance and are driving illegally, we highly recommend carrying hit-and-run insurance. 

Unless you have collision insurance or uninsured motorist insurance, you won’t be protected from hit-and-runs. 

If you are worried about the additional cost of collision insurance, you can shop around for different insurance quotes to find a cheaper rate. You can use our free quote comparison tool to find the best rates for collision insurance in your area.

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