Good points overall, but I'm a bit skeptical about the idea that PIP claims won't affect your rates at all. Insurance companies are tricky—I've seen friends file supposedly "safe" claims only to see their premiums creep up later. Could be coincidence, sure, but it makes me wonder...
That said, I had a minor accident a couple years back (nothing serious, thankfully), and my PIP coverage did exactly what it promised—covered medical expenses without any hassle. Didn't notice any immediate rate hike either. Still, I wouldn't be surprised if multiple claims eventually raised some red flags.
You're definitely right about state specifics though. Insurance rules can be wildly inconsistent depending on where you live. Always worth a quick call to your agent or even checking your state's insurance commission website directly. Better safe than sorry, especially when dealing with something as unpredictable as insurance companies.
Yeah, insurance companies can be pretty unpredictable in my experience too. Had a buddy file a small claim—nothing huge—and his rates stayed flat for a year...then suddenly jumped up the next renewal. Could've been unrelated, but it definitely makes me cautious about filing claims unless I really need to.
I've noticed the same thing about claims. Here's a quick rundown of how PIP usually works: You file your claim, your insurer covers medical expenses and sometimes lost wages—regardless of who's at fault. But yeah, even small claims can trigger premium hikes later, so I tend to save mine for bigger stuff...just in case.
Good breakdown, but a couple things worth mentioning from experience:
- PIP claims are technically "no-fault," but insurers still keep track of how often you file. Even though they can't directly penalize you for fault, frequent claims can flag you as a higher-risk customer. And yeah, that usually means higher premiums down the line.
- Also, the coverage limits on PIP vary a lot by state. Some states have pretty low minimums, so if you're seriously injured, you might blow through your coverage pretty quickly. Seen it happen more times than I'd like.
- Another thing: PIP usually covers immediate medical bills and some lost wages, but it doesn't cover pain and suffering or property damage. For those, you'd need to go after the other driver's liability insurance or your own collision coverage.
I get why you'd hold off on smaller claims—makes sense financially. But here's something to think about: if you wait too long to report an injury, insurers might question whether it's actually related to the accident. I've seen people get burned by waiting too long to file a claim, then struggling to prove their injuries were accident-related.
Curious—has anyone here ever had trouble getting their insurer to cover delayed symptoms or injuries that showed up weeks after the accident? Seems like that's where things can get messy...
Honestly, from my experience insurers aren't that skeptical about delayed symptoms as long as you document everything clearly with medical records. Had whiplash issues pop up two weeks after my fender bender—no real hassle once I showed proof from my doc visits.
