Weighing whether to drive in icy weather?
Snow and ice are rare events here. Cities like Beaverton and Hillsboro and the county don’t do much to improve icy roads, and people are less practiced.
While you may be great at driving on ice, others are probably not.
(And AWD is less helpful than you might think!)
Maybe instead, brew up your warm comfort, kick back the recliner, read that good book, or call someone you should love.
But what if you have to drive–and crash? How does insurance work when driving in wintry weather?
If you do slide and crash, here are some answers:
- Is it covered? Damages to your car typically are covered under the collision coverage if you have it. BUT
- At-fault accident. Even if you hit a patch of ice and crash, an insurance carrier will typically classify such an accident as at-fault. At-fault accidents typically increase future premiums more than other claims.
- Snowy trees? If a tree or limb falls onto your parked car, a car insurance policy will typically cover that under comprehensive (or “other-than-collision”) if you have it.
- Emergency Road Assistance if you get stuck? If you have emergency assistance on your insurance policy, it will likely cover someone to help tow your car out if you’re close enough to the road, but you may be waiting longer than normal because of demand.
Many may remember the ice storm of many years ago. It took me three stressful hours to get home from work in Lake Oswego, up Highway 217, to Farmington, to my home in Beaverton. I saw dozens of accidents along the way and thankfully made it home without event, but it wasn’t worth the stress. Perhaps you have a story or two?
As someone who has taken dozens of ice and snow crash claim calls over the years, I’d say stay home if you can. And if you do choose to drive, be extra careful.
Let us know if you’d appreciate some car insurance quotes!