With ice and possibly snow approaching here in Houston, it usually means more car accidents. So what does that mean for you? And specifically your auto insurance?
The insurance industry will never admit publicly that more accidents lead to higher premiums, but we all know that individually if you're in a crash, your rate does indeed go up. The best thing you can do in these conditions, is don't drive!
"To avoid making a claim, and it's not even just the claim, it's just getting into a car accident" said Rich Johnson, director of communications for the Insurance Council of Texas, "Check your policy, that's a good thing to do this time of year anyway."
It's good to be familiar with your policy's collision coverage when you get into a crash, as well as your comprehensive coverage where your car is damaged by hail, a falling branch, or some other object.
If there are multiple accidents, could that mean a back-up in local auto repair shops? Mike Yu, owner of Midtown Auto here in Houston tells KTRH, he doesn't think so.
"Because we're coming back from the holidays, most shops at this moment are at their slow period" he said.
But, he also made a point to say that in addition to accidents, many cars end up at his shop with dead batteries, flat tire and suspension issues, and they ended up with a cracked engine because they didn't put enough coolant in their car.
If you do have to drive, drive safe. And the best way to avoid a crash is to not drive fast, and slow down.
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