September and October often feel crazy as we get back into the swing of life after the summer months. It is no surprise that September and October are the leading months for traffic collisions in Ontario. According to the Preliminary 2021 Ontario Road Safety Annual Report Selected Statistics, there were 2247 collisions in October 2021.
If you are involved in a car accident, we know the stress can be overwhelming. After the collision there are a few important things that you need to do:
- Call the police if anyone is injured. If police are not needed, you will report the accident to your nearest Accident Reporting Centre (accsupport.com).
- If you have your phone handy and it is safe to do so, you should take pictures of the scene.
- When it is safe, move your vehicle out of the way of traffic.
- Record the information of the other party involved.
- Call your insurance broker as soon as you can after the accident.
Who is at fault?
The answer to this is not the responsibility of the parties involved but the insurers of the drivers involved. From our friends at Intact Insurance, “each driver will be covered by their own insurer for damage to their vehicle, based on their responsibility and the coverages they purchased.”
Collision is an optional insurance policy add-on but we always recommend adding it to your policy. Here’s why:
- Hit-and-run coverage falls under collision. If you do not have collision on your auto insurance policy, you can’t file a claim for hit-and-run.
- Without collision, if you hit another vehicle there is not any coverage for your vehicle.
- Did you know that if you get into a single vehicle accident, without collision there isn’t coverage for the damage to your vehicle?
If you do not have collision coverage could you afford to replace your vehicle today? Often the cost of collision is significantly less than the cost of buying another car.
Collision or no collision on your insurance policy?
Intact Insurance explains how this can impact your insurance coverage.
If your insurer determines that you are not at fault: even if your policy doesn’t include collision coverage, your insurance will pay for the damage to your vehicle through the liability section of your policy (Section A). You will not have to pay a deductible.
If your insurer determines that you are at fault: your insurance will pay for the damage if your policy includes Collision or All Perils coverage (Section B of the policy), and you will have to pay the deductible amount. If you only have Section A (Liability coverage), you will have to pay for the cost of repairs.
With more cars on the road and more people driving every day, collision is a great coverage to add to your policy. The cost of adding collision to your insurance policy varies between insurers, your vehicle type, your location, and other variables. We would be happy to speak with you about your insurance policy and provide you with a quote for adding collision coverage to your policy.
Being prepared for the unexpected… that’s the Roughley Advantage.
Roughley’s team of insurance professionals is standing by to answer your call. If you have questions about your insurance, we invite you to call us and speak to one of our team members.
Please follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn, and also continue to visit our website, where we share relevant insurance news and office updates.
We are available Monday to Friday, 9am until 4:30pm.
Oshawa Location
Phone: 905.576.7770 • Toll Free: 1.888.558.0883
Fax: 905.576.3610
insure@staging.roughleyinsurance.com
Bowmanville Location
Phone: 905.697.4257 • Toll Free: 1.888.558.0883
Fax: 289.316.3662
insurebowmanville@staging.roughleyinsurance.com
