Auto Insurance Claims: Auto Insurance, minor fender, fender bender

Question
Richard,
    My 17 year old daughter just had her first accident, a minor fender bender.  The police were not called to the scene and no citation was issued, but it was quite clearly her fault.  There is no damage to her car, but about $450.00 to the other car.  Taking into consideration the possibility of increased rates for her (or me as she is on my policy), do you think I should report this to my insurance company or just pay for the other party's repairs?
                    Thanks for your service,  Mike

Answer
Hi Mike,

I would definitly recommend paying for the damage and not making a claim. The increased premium will be there for 3 years and will likely far exceed the $450.00.  I would recommend also that you get the other people to sign a full release of all claims form. That way they can not come back to you later seeking more money. Also, on a more personal note, I would make your daughter come up with the $450.00. There's no better teacher than paying for ones own mistakes.

I hope this helps
Richard Hixenbaugh