No one wants to have to claim from their car insurance company. Unfortunately the fact is that sometimes these things do happen. The best thing you can do, if you cannot prevent the accident or theft in the first place, is to be prepared.
First of all, when you sign up for your policy, or are even just looking through car insurance quotes to choose a company, make sure that you know what you are signing up for. Read through all fine print carefully, and all details of your cover. You need to be completely clear about what you are paying for each month. If you are unclear about anything, ask your insurer questions. When you are choosing from insurance quotes, speak to the insurance company and find out what their claim process is. You need to be fully understanding of the steps to execute when you need to make a claim, as sometimes you will have to begin on the accident scene.
Next, you should always carry an insurance kit in your motor vehicle. This kit will assist you in a smoother claim process. In this kit you should have a disposable camera, your insurance details, a notepad and a pen. The camera is very handy for taking photos of the accident scene, any injuries, and the damages to all vehicles involved. This will help prevent insurance fraud from the other party, if they inflict more damage to their vehicle after the accident has occurred so that they can get more money from the claim. It also helps squash any discrepancies in the claim process. The notepad and pen are for you to draw up a diagram of how the accident occurred. Most insurance companies will ask you for a drawing of the accident in the claim process. If you draw the diagram whilst you are still on the scene you will be doing so with a clearer memory.
Remember to call your insurance broker as soon as possible after the accident has occurred. Some insurance companies will say that you must phone them on the actual accident scene. They will then send out a representative to document what happened. Furthermore, some insurance companies work in conjunction with towing companies, so they will have to authorise the towing of your vehicle on the accident scene.