When you get right down to it there are two major causes of major traffic accidents, accidents that are caused by drivers themselves and accidents that’re the result of environmental factors outside the driver’s control. For the most part though, the majority of major traffic accidents are the result of situations drivers either produced or could have avoided. Outside environmental factors such as inclement weather conditions or subpar road maintenance cause some accidents, but statistically speaking they were far less likely to do so and even then, could have been prevented by a quick thinking driver. Even during winter months, when roads can be icy and freezing fog can make road conditions hazardous and it’s tempting to blame the weather for accidents, statistics tell us that too many drivers too often neglect to reduce speed to accommodate hazardous conditions.
New drivers for instance, often lack the confidence and driving skills to cope with poor weather conditions and in spring, when road surfaces are often cracked from the effects of severe temperature changes, many new drivers lose control of their vehicles when faced with poor road conditions. The speed of both vehicles at the time of the major accident will largely determine how great the effect and damage on both or one vehicle will be. Even at only 35 mph considerable damage can occur when a stationery object is hit by a car, such as driving into bollards or garden walls owing to careless and inattentive driving.
“This must never happen again.” – London’s Coroner After the World’s First Automobile-Related Fatality in 1896
Financial Impact of a Major Car Accident
Most people have arranged the purchase of their car through a dealership and a car finance company. If a major accident’s effect on cars ends in a total write-off, insurer’s loss adjusters will investigate and determine how much their insurance company is prepared to pay out. This will be paid directly to the party having paid out the money, namely your finance company, unless you paid for your car yourself. If the insurance money doesn’t cover the debt that is still outstanding against your car, you will have to pay off the remaining debt to the finance company yourself.
The loss adjuster will look at vehicle sales in your area to determine how much cars in a comparable condition are worth. If the insurers pay out more than is still owed to your finance company, they will send you a cheque for the difference, enabling you to put a deposit on a new car. The early pay-off of your loan will not adversely affect your credit rating by the way – only the non-payment of your debt to the finance company will do that.
Repairing or Writing Off a Major Car Accident
The extent and the nature of the damage sustained during a major auto accident will be the primary deciding factor in the determining how much value has been lost from your vehicle. Damage to your car or trucks frame or structural damage effect the value of a car for more than any other kind of loss. The greater the damage, the larger the final repair bill will be and this will be reflected in the ratio determining the vehicle’s value, as the vehicle’s value prior to the major accident will be taken into account. If a major accident effect on your car left you out of pocket, you may be able to file a diminished value claim against your insurance company, provided the driver of the other vehicle was not insured and you had previously arranged for a policy that included “uninsured motorist” coverage. Depending on the circumstances you may be able to file a claim against a third party insurer.
