Car accidents usually result in an increase in insurance premiums. Even if you are not responsible, your insurance company will have to incur some costs. There is an increase in car premiums and policy quotes because the accident will be rated against your coverage. There are a number of types of insurance coverage that can include collision, personal injury protection, and medical coverage. If you are found 'at fault' for an accident, coverage such as personal liability and collision will cover you, your vehicle, and personal injury to the other driver. Often, if you have just one accident, you will see an increase in your insurance quote.

Car insurance quotes will increase because you will be considered a high risk driver. The premium will reflect the nature of the accident and the costs associated with the accident. Insurance companies will usually charge 'points' to your policy. Depending on the insurance company, these points will be charged to your policy for a certain period of time that usually ranges from three to possibly seven years. If you are in an accident that was your fault, the insurance company will consider that you are a high risk of having accidents in the future and increase your rates. You will also receive higher insurance quotes. The length of time between an accident and your quote and premiums decreasing depends on a provider's policies. As well, you may have to pay a higher deductible for the insurance.

Another reason why an accident can increase your premiums when you are 'at-fault' in an accident is that there are some companies who will not insure you. When there is less competition for your business, then there is less incentive to give you a good deal. As a result, your insurance quote will be higher. When you add the insurance 'points' into the mix, it is easy to see how an accident can become very expensive. If you have a faultless driving record, it is unlikely that your premiums will increase after an accident that was determined not to be your fault.

You can normally expect a rate increase of between 20-40%. This increase is based on the Insurance Services Office's (ISO) criteria of raising a premium after an accident. According to the ISO, for multi-car policies, the surcharge is 20 percent of the base rate, and for single-car policies it is 40 percent. It is important to remember that there are other factors taken into consideration after an accident such as your age, gender, and driving record. These factors will affect how high the percentage increase will be.

The increase in premiums is not done so that the insurance money can get their money back, but is based on the risk that you may be involved in another car accident. Each insurance company has different policies and standards, but they look at your chances of getting into another accident. The number of accidents that you are involved in also increases your insurance premiums.

Some companies will absolve past accidents after a set period of time has expired. This can be two years, or as much as five years, but the period will vary depending on the insurance provider. Basically, you have to show the insurance company that you are no longer a high risk driver.

The best way to avoid high car insurance quotes is to avoid an accident. You can do this by practicing safe driving. One car accident can seriously impact your car insurance quote and the premium that you will pay.

What is a car fleet insurance policy? Simple, it is a motor fleet insurance policy made up of purely cars with no mix of other vehicles such as vans or haulage trucks, taxis etc.

Many fleet insurance policies consist of just cars although the range of vehicles covered can be wide and varied such as combinations of:

High Performance Cars - Subaru's, Mitsubishi , Evo's, Lotus etc

High Value Cars - Aston Martin, Porsche, Rolls Royce etc

4 x 4's - Land Rover, Porsche, BMW, Ford etc

Hatchback / Saloon Cars - Ford, BMW, Volkswagen, Audi etc

Environmentally Economic Cars - Toyota, Pirius, Honda's etc

The list of cars would be endless but hopefully you start to get the impression that fleet insurance can cater for all types of vehicles!

Your fleet car insurance can also cater for any trailers you may need to attach to your cars, trips abroad, breakdown cover, uninsured loss recovery and fleet insurance experts will discuss with you your needs and suggest solutions which you may not have previously considered.

Car fleet insurance experts should advise and look after you and your company's needs at all times.

You are as individual as are your car fleet insurance requirements - something you should remember when other fleet insurance brokers attempt to send you along a route you may not be comfortable with!

Finding the right Motor Fleet Insurance for your business can be a daunting task. Despite popular opinion there are various levels of cover you can request from your Fleet Insurance. Your Motor Fleet Insurance needs to provide the right cover for your vehicles as well as your drivers. There are three levels of cover you can choose from:

Comprehensive

Third Party Fire & Theft

Third Party Only

Some fleet insurance companies will also allow you to have varied cover on your fleet insurance policy.

In addition to this cover you can also be offered certain extensions to your motor fleet insurance policy which may include:

Windscreen cover

Breakdown Cover

Courtesy cars

Legal Expenses Insurance

You need to give careful consideration as to who will drive your vehicles as the higher the age restriction the larger the discount you will receive from your fleet insurance company. Some of the more common restrictions you can opt for are:

Any Licensed Driver Over 30

Any Licensed Driver Over 25

Any Licensed Driver Over 21

In addition, if you have particularly sporty or expensive cars to be covered by your fleet insurance you may wish to voluntarily restrict the driving age just for these vehicles. This is to demonstrate that you are not going to let your 18 year old apprentice drive your Porsche!

Finally your fleet insurance broker will need to know the type of use for your motor fleet insurance. Examples of these are as follows:

Haulage

Carriage of Own Goods

Private and / or Public Hire

Social Domestic & Pleasure use only (SD&P)

SD& P and Business Use

Carriage of hazardous Goods

Airport Side Use Extension

Hopefully reading this has made you more aware of the varying cover a fleet insurance policy can offer you and your business.