Expert: Bennie719 - 4/8/2008

Question
I was just in an automobile accident, but I was the passenger of the car.  If I decided to go through my insurance instead of the drivers' insurance, will my auto insurance policy increase?...Also, how much will it increase approximately?

Answer
Hi JC,
You didn't give me much information to work with, so I will have to make several assumptions.  If my assumptions are incorrect, you will need to send a more specific question.

Insurance is not a pick and choose situation.  Assuming that this was a one car accident (you didn't mention any other cars) and the driver of the car that you were riding in was at fault and you have medical bills created by injuries in the accident, your claim is against the insurance policy on the car in which you were riding.
Your own policy would only come into play in cases where the other party had 'gaps' in their coverage (ie., no medical coverage) or you exhausted their limits of coverage and still need treatment, then you can turn back to your own policy for coverage to fill the gap or apply as additional.
If you were seriously injured and the owner doesn't carry enough insurance to cover your injury settlement, you can turn back to your own company for additional coverage from the underinsured motorist portion of your policy in many cases.
If there was another vehicle involved in this accident and that vehicle was at fault, you still turn to the insurance on the car that you were riding in as the first payor of your medical bills and your own policy only as secondary if needed.  An injury claim would be against the at fault driver, fall back to the insurance for the car you were riding in secondly if you exhausted the policy limits with a serious injury and third to your own policy if your injury is so serious that it exhausts both policies.
Since you were merely a passenger, if it ever proceeds to where you must file against your own company, it will normally have no bearing whatsoever on your insurance rate.
I hope this information has been of help.
Your feedback by rating my answer will be appreciated.
Sincerely,
Bennie
San Francisco Bay Area