Premium increase for a no fault accident

I have fully comp insurance. This guy came out of a give way sign and hit me in the side. I was not hurt too badly and the bike had some damage. He admitted it was his fault and his insurers fixed my bike. I told my own insurers about it but as I did not claim from them I thought no more of it. I recently tried to insure my car but they are quoting more than before because of this non-fault accident. I have been riding 20 years without a claim and my licence is clean. How can this be?

Gareth, by e-mail

Answer

Unfortunately this is a problem which is often encountered following a non-fault claim. It is a statistical fact that people who have had one accident are more likely to have a second, even if they were in no way to blame for the first. As a result of this, having had this accident your insurer is statistically more likely to have to pay out on your policy in the future hence the loading of your premium.

Insurers use different risk assessment models and as a point of policy some insurers will not penalise a non-fault accident victim. It is a good idea when looking around for bike insurance, is to compare quotes from as many insurers as you can to make sure that you are getting the best deal which should help you mitigate any increase as a result of this accident.