So my daughter has had her license for 2 weeks - she tried to avoid someone and ran off the road. Fortunately she’s ok, but she easily totaled the car (it’s an ‘09 Subaru legacy) - a lot of cosmetic damage but one taillight completely gone/smashed and some front wheel well damage. We actually still had full coverage on it with a $500 deductible . I’m guessing insurance payout would be $3000 max after deductible. Should I even consider filing this claim? No other drivers involved and there was a county road sign damaged but deputy doesn’t think they will charge us for that (he also didn’t give any citation,etc) I’ve never filed a claim before and this is all new.
A $3000 pay out will pale in comparison to the rate increase of a 16 yo with an accident on their record. Accidents are typically charged for 5 years. If no one else is involved and there is no ticket for the accident- just eat it. It will be way less in the long run.
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That was my thought process too - especially if she happened to be in another accident anytime soon then it would really balloon
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Not legal advice but no paper trail means you were in the car if you’re going to claim it. Otherwise don’t claim it because as others have said it will kill your insurance.
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At this point, 2 at fault accidents (in under 3 years) will pretty much disqualify any driver from a Standard or Prefered carrier. Your logic is right on point.
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100% - if @Nic3456 files a claim now, their out of pocket impact due to raised premiums in the coming years will be far greater than the $3k repair today.
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I would agree and say don’t file a claim. I totaled my dad’s 13k car when I was first driving. He says he would have been better off just taking the loss with how much his insurance went up.
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Oh wow - I didn’t realize it would be that bad. That def makes my decision easier
Yup. The insurance went way up for a few years. When it started to come down, my younger sister started driving! IMO it’s not worth it over a net of $2,500.
A bus pass and a bicycle would be best.
Good news that your child is ok. Cars are replaceable people aren’t
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I would highly recommend not claiming, look into selling it for parts, and might not be a whole $2500 net you lose.
Also see if BMW is still hosting teen driver events, they’ll teach a new driver how to avoid and not over-react.
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A bus pass and a bicycle would be best.
One incident doesn’t make someone an irredeemable driver, and it’s a problem that so few teens these days are learning to drive—there’s basically no way to break out of the endless childhood a lot of Americans have today without a car. I’m sure OP’s daughter did her best here and this will teach her lessons moving forward
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I cannot imagine the stress the parents would be under. knowing your kid already got into one accident and sending her out there again. This is for the parents more so than the kid lol
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That’s fair but as someone who (presumptively) is closer to the daughter’s age than most people on here, I’d say it’s better for the parent and the teen in the long run to continue doing the same thing—if the daughter didn’t drive for six months, everyone would be just as nervous at that point…with a six-month gap in real-life driving practice
I’m less than a handful of years older than OPs daughter and agree with you, I also recommend more supervised practice.
Also, OP lives in OH/KY, what public transit 
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those seem like totally cool places for a single young female to be bicycling alone, though (for transport as opposed to recreation, i mean, since the latter would probably be a lot less isolated)
So you’d get $2500 towards a new car - but your (or hers) will be hundreds upon hundreds a month forever? The math doesn’t work. It wasn’t a new Range Rover. Just buy a similarly priced older used car and pretend it never happened. And make sure she knows how much you had her back!
I wouldn’t file claim. Take her to a driving class where they teach obstacle avoidance etc.
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Glad kid is ok and yes doesn’t make sense to report it but yes there’s probably a reasonable chance kid is somewhat at fault or lost control by making an overly aggressive corrective move. Stuff does happen and it may have been totally out of their control but important to consider how we can prevent this from happening again in future, if possible.
Another vote for not filing claims, you should not carry collision either. I don’t carry collision for my paid off less than $10k value car.