Reader’s Question:

My husband’s been whining for a few months now about the bills his auto insurance company has been sending his way. He says that it wasn’t his fault, and that he’s not supposed to be held liable for the accident he was in four months ago. However, because he was held ‘liable’ for the accident, his auto insurance company has increased his premium pretty significantly. So I’ve been wondering: how exactly does vehicle liability insurance work?

Anna

Madison, WI

While some accidents clearly indicate who’s at fault, most accidents aren’t as crystal clear as when a drunk driver slams into the rear of a parked car. If one driver hits the rear end of a car that abruptly stopped, it would be hard to determine concretely who was at fault. It may have been the abruptness of the first car’s stop, or the carelessness of the driver behind. One or both may have been traveling at high speeds when it happened. One driver may have been distracted. A lot of factors come into play in complex accidents when vehicle liability insurance companies are determining who’s at fault.

In cases like this, a percentage-system is applied to determine the degree of liability a driver has.

This is how it works: the insurance companies of those involved would have to determine the degree of fault for each driver. In the previously mentioned case, where a driver hits the rear of another driver’s car, the investigations could pin one driver with 70% of the fault. The other driver gets the other 30%. There is a legal basis for determining the degree of fault, but these fault determination rules are way too lengthy and complex to be discussed in just one article.

If you would like to know more about the specific rules to determine vehicle liability insurance, you may want to contact your state’s department of traffic and car accidents. They’ll be able to provide with you a more detailed explanation of the fault determination rules.