Auto Premiums Rise After Bus Crashes Into Cars

By: Justin Vasquez, Car Insurance Analyst
CheaperCarInsurance.com

At least six vehicles were damaged in a multi-car accident Friday that was caused by a city bus, which is likely to result in a rise in auto premiums. Though details are still sketchy, it’s evident that the bus plowed into a car at an intersection after having sideswiped at least three vehicles. Another car crashed into these vehicles.

Just what caused the accident is unclear. The bus driver, who was up and walking after the accident, was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. Others in the cars that he hit were also transported to nearby hospitals, including a baby and a pregnant woman. We don’t know yet how severe the injuries are, but traffic was halted for over an hour during the cleanup period.

The cars that were destroyed in the incident will have to be repaired or replaced and this will likely result in higher auto premiums for the owners of the vehicles, as well as the bus company that employed the driver. Multi-Vehicle Accidents Becoming More Common

In recent news, there has been an increase in reported multi-vehicle crashes. These are defined as involving three or more vehicles and in recent days, up to five or six cars have been involved in pile-ups and multi-car crashes. There are a few types of multiple vehicle accidents:

• Pileups: One car hits another and the vehicles behind them crash into them, most often during high traffic times
• Threeway: One car hits two other vehicles, usually at an intersection
• Multi-vehicle: Like today’s crash, where one vehicle causes all or most of the damage to more than a couple of cars

These can be very dangerous crashes because they involve multiple impacts. If the occupants of the first vehicle in a pileup weren’t injured in the first crash, the subsequent ones could kill them. Even when no one is hurt, auto premiums skyrocket because so many claims come in at once.

Why Multi-Vehicle Accidents Occur

The most common causes of this type of accident include:

• Drunk driving or driving under the influence of a drug
• Drowsiness, it only takes a moment to nod off and crash
• Texting or using the phone while driving
• Medical conditions, such as epilepsy

Many multi-car accidents occur at intersections

There are steps you can take to prevent causing an accident, but there’s really no way to prevent someone else from crashing into you. Be sure to leave plenty of space when traveling on the highway or even streets, so if something happens, you can stop before you add to the pileup. It’s also important to stay alert and avoid any accident causing activities that could end up harming you and others, such as drinking and driving, texting, etc.

Auto premiums go up after these accidents, as with any other type of accident and that can make it difficult for car owners in the future. It’s worth having insurance, though, since you never know what could happen. The people injured in Friday’s accident were certainly not expecting a bus to plow into them. In this case, insurance is something that could ease the trauma just a little.

Posted: June 03, 2010