The Auto IDEA
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The Auto IDEA
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After you’ve been in a car accident, there are several steps you need to follow. As you work through these steps, you will need to negotiate with a lot of people. These negotiations may not always go your way, so it’s important to know what snags you may hit and how to work around them. The Other Party is UncooperativeYour troubles may begin immediately following the accident. Sometimes the other party is simply unwilling to cooperate. They may refuse to talk to you or negotiate with you. Perhaps they aren’t even willing to discuss insurance. If the other party is not cooperating, you need to take action to protect yourself. The first thing you should do is protect the evidence of the accident. Try to preserve the scene as much as possible. For example, try not to move the cars unless absolutely necessary. Take pictures and talk with any witnesses. Evidence will help you make an insurance claim. You should also call the police. They can file an official report that will discuss fault and you can use this report when you make your insurance claim. The Insurance Company Refuses to PayWorking with insurance companies can also be tricky. This is especially true if you are trying to receive payment from the insurance company of the other driver when they are at fault. Insurance companies will take their time working through a case and they may even refuse payment. An attorney can help you win a settlement from insurance companies that refuse to pay. When you bring in an attorney, this shows the insurance company that you mean business and they are more likely to comply. Additionally, attorneys are well-versed in the tactics insurance companies use and they can help you get the compensation you deserve. Both Parties Can’t Agree on a SettlementAfter an accident, both parties will typically discuss how they will handle the situation moving forward. Typically, this includes agreeing to file an insurance claim. However, there are cases where both parties do not agree to this. For example, the at-fault party may push to leave insurance out of it and instead settle with a cash payment. The other party may prefer to have insurance cover the cost of repairs and injuries. Just remember, that you have the right to file a claim if you wish and you should do your best to get the other party’s insurance information. Accidents can be stressful even after they’ve happened. Dealing with the repercussions through negotiations can take quite some time, especially if problems arise. Make sure you understand common problems so you know how to work through them. Read this next: 3 Tips for Handling the Aftermath of a Car Accident 
Which is more important to recognize, emojis or road signs?
(BPT) - If you were to take a quiz to test your ability to identify common emojis and road signs, how do you think you’d fare?
According to the results from a recent survey by Mercury Insurance, 1,890 respondents did not do so well. The meaning of the “yawning” emoji was correctly identified by 85% of the respondents, but only 31% of quiz-takers correctly identified the meaning of the “lane reduction” road sign. Additionally, 71% knew the “in love” emoji, but the “keep right” road sign was correctly identified by only 51% of quiz-takers. Emojis are continually being added to our texting and messaging vocabulary, and for the most part, we’re able to keep up with this ever-changing landscape. Fortunately for the more than 200 million licensed U.S. drivers, road signs are highly regulated and consistent, and are designed to help keep drivers safe and easily guide them to their destinations. The bad news, however, is that far more people are able to identify emojis than road signs. And what’s worse is that many times they’re looking at these cute little icons while they’re driving. “Sure, emojis are a fun, modern-day form of shorthand, and may be more intuitive, but there’s a time and place to use them, and behind the wheel of a car isn’t one of them,” said Kevin Quinn, vice president of claims and customer experience at Mercury Insurance. “A picture may be worth a thousand words in some cases, but it certainly isn’t worth getting into a collision and risking someone’s life. Most collisions are avoidable if drivers focus on their main task of safely operating a vehicle.” Distracted driving — anything that takes a driver’s attention away from the road, including texting and talking on a phone — accounted for 3,166 fatalities in 2017, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Texting while driving is extremely dangerous, as it takes your eyes off the road for five seconds on average — whether you’re reading or sending the message. The results of the quiz also highlight the importance of knowing what each road sign means, so you and those around you are safe. “These signs are instantly communicating to drivers what actions to take, much like emojis instantly communicate what friends or family members might be trying to convey in a text,” said Quinn. “It’s OK to only somewhat understand an emoji, but it’s imperative to know exactly what a road sign is telling you; otherwise it could lead to disastrous results on the road where no one can afford a misunderstanding. And being an attentive driver who knows the rules of the road and safely gets where they’re going might earn you a smiley face from your auto insurance company, just don’t read it while you’re operating a vehicle.”
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