Auto Insurance Claims: 2nd At-fault Accident - Will Insurance Drop Me?, auto body repairs, fault accidents

Question
Let me just begin by saying that I am in no way a bad driver; I am just having bad luck!  In October 2007, I was an accident that was my fault.  It was reported to the insurance company (Safeco) and I was granted the 'first accident forgiveness' in which my premiums stayed the same.  Today (Jan 25), I was in another accident (as luck would have it).  I was pulling out of the grocery store parking lot on to a two lane road.  Of course, I pulled into the first lane because I did not see anyone coming.  The next thing I knew, a woman had side wiped me.  There was a witness that confirmed that I pulled out in front of her, so I really had no say in arguing the damages.  The cop did cite me with failure to yield to oncoming traffic.  The woman was okay - she will be taking her car next week for an estimate.  I will be going to get an estimate some time next week too.

I don't know what to do...do I report this to my insurance company?  I am scared that they will consider dropping me since this is my second accident in less than six months.  I am also concerned that since she was an elderly woman that she may complain after a few days that she may have some minor aches and pains, even though she told the officer and me that she was fine.  

If I do report this to insurance, how much can I expect to see my premium increase by?  I have full coverage, I am a 29 year old male, live in the state of GA, have excellent credit, but these are my very first at-fault accidents.  I have only one minor speeding incident on my record from 5 years ago.  Please advise as to your recommendations or offer any other suggestions.

Thanks.


Answer
Hi Shawn,

Auto body repairs can be quite expensive so you should report this to your insurance company. Unfortunately, I have no way of knowing what action your insurance company will take since each insurance company has its own underwriting guidelines. Assuming you purchased your policy through an independent agent, you should contact your agent who would be better able to advise you.  You may want to wait until the lady presents you with a repair estimate. That way you can decide if it is an amount you would rather pay out of pocket.

I hope this helps
Richard Hixenbaugh