Expert: Bennie719 - 4/30/2008

Question
I was cleaning my car and very quickly decided to pull into the
garage to avoid the rain. I was just rolling into the garage at
probably 1 MPH when i tried to hit the brake to stop and the car
didn't stop. i consequently hit my door on my mothers bumper (no
damage to her car) and my front end bumper on the back wall of our
garage.  there is extensive damage to my door and minor damage to my
hood and front bumper. my question is if I claim this on my insurance
will a one car accident such as this raise my rates? if so what else
should I do?

Answer
Hi Nick,
Everything depends on the insurance laws of your state, the underwriting guidelines of your insurance company, the amount of damage and whether or not there are any other claims or traffic citations on your record.
I recommend that you secure an estimate for the cost of repair and then call your AGENT for an 'off the record' discussion of this incident.  He can tell you if this accident will have any impact on your rate and if so, approximately what percent.
Depending on the size of your deductible and the total dollar damage, you may decide that paying the full repair out of pocket will be less expensive than filing a claim, or you may learn that your company 'forgives' the first accident and there will be no rate increase.

I hope this information has been of help.
Your feedback by rating my answer will be appreciated.

Sincerely,
Bennie
San Francisco Bay Area