Every year, tens of thousands of Australian motorists are involved in vehicle accidents, so you’re right in wondering “what happens if I need to make a car insurance claim that is not my fault?” Below you’ll find five important things you need to know in advance.
Know your rights
Motor accidents are stressful and the possibility of finding yourself stranded without a vehicle only adds to the stress. The first thing you need to know is that you’re entitled to a replacement car, which we provide to you at the cost of the at fault insurer. And remember, replacement vehicles should be of at least similar standard as your car.
Contact the authorities
Although tensions may be running high right after an accident, you only need to contact the police if the other driver refuses to provide their details. When contacting the police, make sure they give you a Police Event Number, which you’ll need to submit to your insurer and keep for your record.
Capture all the details
After the initial shock it’s normal to experience some confusion, but this is the time to gather details from the at-fault driver, including name, address, vehicle make, model, year, and registration number, and their insurer’s name. Be sure to look for witnesses and take their statements and contact details. You should also make a note of the circumstances surrounding the accident, including time of the day, lighting and weather conditions, how was the traffic at the time, and anything that may help determine the cause of the accident. Capture as many details as possible in writing and using photographs, and don’t forget to draw a diagram and keep it for your records: insurance claim forms may ask you to provide one and it’s always more accurate to rely on information taken at the time of the accident.
If things go wrong
In some cases, the insurance company repairing your car whether your own insurer or the at fault insurer may make the process fairly difficult for you and you may believe that you are being unfairly treated. If this happens, you may need to resort to the Internal Dispute Resolution department (IDR) of that particular insurer, so that they may have a look and see what their team has done and make sure that they are complying with all that is required.
Should you claim?
“Should I pursue a car insurance claim that is not my fault?”, you may wonder. In cases where you’re not at fault, you should always have a professional panel beater assess the damage to your vehicle as in many instances a lot of the damage may not initially be visible to the untrained eye or may in fact be underneath your plastic bumper bar for instance. Until someone actually looks underneath, you will not know the extent of the damage. It’s always best to have any damage whether big or small attended to.
Car accident management – How it works
All car accidents result in your vehicle being off road anywhere from a few days to a few months depending on damage sustained and what type of vehicle you have.
If you were Not At Fault in an accident you are literally entitled to have a like for like replacement vehicle under Australian Law. This isn’t always easy to organise yourself. “Not My Fault” can organise to have all the hard work done for you.
Even when At Fault you may also be entitled to a Replacement vehicle through your own insurance policy if you’ve taken up that option of insurance. A limitation of this is that there is a time limit set by your insurance policy as to how long you may have the Replacement vehicle in most cases.
The Replacement Vehicle will be of a similar type to your vehicle although all vehicles provided through us will be of a late model. An example is if you have a compact vehicle like a Toyota Corolla, you will be provided a late model like for like vehicle of similar category and size. If you have a luxury vehicle you will be provided with another luxury vehicle to drive. Same goes for 4WD’s, work Utility vehicles etc.
Our aim is to get you back on the road
We have teamed up with several replacement courtesy car companies across Australia to be able to provide a quick and easy go to service at the click of a button that has access to vehicles across most of the country. Our aim is to get you back on the road as quickly as possible and to minimise any hassles caused to you. We put you in the right hands and track the management of your hire car replacement.
Our staff have an extensive knowledge and many years of experience in the Automotive Industry as a whole.
Reason you are given a Replacement Vehicle is that it can be charged to either the at fault parties insurance company or the at fault party themselves in some circumstances.
This means you get a Replacement car delivered and picked up at a convenient location and time.
24/7
Quick
Application
WE HELP AND ASSIST
Our team here at Not My Fault assist drivers everyday after car accidents across Australia.
DRIVER
Our team here at Not My Fault assist drivers everyday after car accidents across Australia. Main areas we operate in are Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Hobart and Canberra. However we also assist in many other areas. Almost 100% of drivers Not At Fault in car accidents using our service obtain a Replacement Car.
BUSINESS
Businesses with up to 20 vehicles are saving precious time minimising interruption to their business after an accident. We have custom solutions for businesses to enable their staff to quickly apply for replacement vehicles to keep your business moving hassle free.
Our service is Fast and Australia wide.
LARGE FLEETS
Our infrastructure allows businesses with large vehicle fleets to easily apply for replacement vehicles. This will facilitate managers to provide superior customer service and save overall time and costs.
We provide custom applications for all large fleets, Australia wide.
