Accidents in winter and auto insurance

1- I’ll be compensated by my insurer if I have a fender bender in the middle of winter, even if my snow tires weren’t installed. 

TRUE.
You’ll be compensated, provided you have the required covered under your insurance policy. But watch out! Not only will the accident be recorded in your file, you may also have to pay a fine: in Quebec, winter tires are mandatory from December 1 to March 15! 

2- The police have to be called to fender bender to establish each person’s liability in the accident.

FALSE.
It’s not the police, but rather the insurer that establishes its insured’s liability for an accident. To do this, it uses the Direct Compensation Agreement. So there’s no need to call the police, unless someone’s injured.

3- When road conditions are bad – icy roads, blinding sun, etc. – I won’t be held liable if I can’t brake in time and cause an accident.

FALSE.
You’ll be considered liable for the accident, since you’re required to adapt your driving to road conditions.

4- The driver in front of me suddenly brakes and I hit the back of his vehicle. He’ll be held liable for the accident.

FALSE.
You must always keep a reasonable distance between you and the vehicle ahead of you, so that you have enough space to brake in any situation… especially in winter when road conditions can catch us off guard.

5- My insurer won’t compensate me if my vehicle was stolen because I left the engine running on a cold day.

FALSE.
You’ll still be compensated if you have theft coverage for your vehicle … but try not to make life easy for thieves.

6- There’s no point declaring a minor accident to your insurer if you don’t file a claim.

FALSE.
It’s important to always let your insurer know, even if you don’t file a claim. This way, your insurer will have your version of the facts and record it in the Fichier central des sinistres automobiles database (consulted by all insurers when insurance is purchased). If you don’t declare the fender bender and the other driver does, only his version will appear in your file.

7- If I’m not liable for the accident, I’ll be compensated by my insurer even though I’m not insured for damage to my vehicle.

TRUE.
When you’re not liable for an accident, your insurer will reimburse you for the damage to your vehicle, even if you haven’t purchased collision coverage.

8- Even if I’m not liable for the accident, I have to pay the deductible if I file a claim.

FALSE.
You won’t have to pay a deductible if you’re not liable for the accident. What’s more, you’ll be compensated, even if you didn’t purchase coverage for damage to your vehicle.