Going on vacation is about taking a break from your routine, leaving your responsibilities behind, and getting away from the harsh realities of life. The last thing you want to have to worry about is getting into a car accident and figuring out how to get your car repaired and back home in one piece. Unfortunately, car accidents do happen when you’re on vacation, so it’s best to be well prepared so that you don’t have to try to make it up on the fly while you’re trying to deal with whiplash symptoms.
The Big Distance Problem
Towing cars for long distances is incredibly expensive, and your insurance company doesn’t want to pay for that. Because of this they’ll usually insist that you get your car repaired locally, near the accident site. Unfortunately that means that you might get stuck with an inferior repair job, either through negligence or mistake, because you won’t be able to claim a warranty from several states away if something goes wrong two weeks later. At that point it won’t be your insurance company’s problem anymore, and the drive back to the mechanic might be too expensive or just impossible with your broken down vehicle.
Luckily there are a few pre-emptive measures you can take to protect yourself to avoid this type of situation.
File A Police Report
If your accident is relatively minor, or if you’re in a rural area, no one might think to contact the police on the scene of the accident. If you decide that you don’t want to call the police right then and there you need to go and file a police report yourself as soon as possible. The report essentially documents that an accident occurs, and is extremely important if you need to file a claim with your insurance company later. Filing a claim is relatively easy and can often be done online.
Get a Quick Fix
One good way to cover your bases is to ask the insurance company to cover a temporary repair while you’re away that’ll get you home so that you can get it done properly there. This saves the insurance company money because they won’t have to pay for a tow truck, and they won’t have to face possibly complicated legal issues that you might be forced to confront them with if they don’t comply. Unfortunately this only works if the damage is relatively minor.
Use the Right Body Shop
The best way to protect yourself is to find out if your insurance carrier has any contractual relationships with nearby repair centers that include a nationwide warranty. That means you’ll be able to claim that warranty with other repair shops in the same network. That means you’ll be able to get your repairs done there, and any problems you have later can be addressed by another mechanic back home without costing you extra.
Negotiate Early
After the accident you’ll want to give us a call and get in touch with one of the car accident lawyers in our network as soon as possible. They can help advise you on what exactly you’re entitled to under the law from your insurer. It’s generally a good idea to get a lawyer involved as soon as possible to protect yourself from being bullied by your insurer. We’ll be able to financially protect you from your insurance company both for your car’s repair costs and for your own medical bills in case you need to launch a suit for damages or pain and suffering from your car accident.
Call your insurance company and work out with them ahead of time how to ensure that you’ll be properly covered. It’s much easier to reach an agreement ahead of time than to get your costs covered after the fact.