| Collision Carl, 62 Married grandfather near retirement Sometimes it doesn’t matter how careful you are. Like the time that I got hit while driving through a parking lot. I’m what you’d call a defensive driver. But I couldn’t stop in time to miss the guy who pulled out of his parking spot without looking. Of course, it could have been much worse. No one was hurt, and even my car wasn’t too seriously damaged. But who wants to pay for someone else’s mistake? Thankfully, my Allstate Collision coverage covered the repair costs from the accident after I paid my deductible which wasn't too much. Tim, 35 Married rookie dad I was sitting at a toll booth waiting to drop in my change. I looked in the rearview mirror and my stomach dropped to the floor: The car coming up behind me obviously wasn’t going to stop in time. I was basically trapped, with cars in front and on either side. You can guess how that played out. I’m still amazed no one was killed. My car was damaged beyond repair, but I had Collision coverage. Allstate paid me for the car’s actual cash value minus my deductible and I used that money toward another car. It’s a relief to know I’ve got insurance that really works. Eric, 43 Single dad of two, going back to school The kids and I were on our way home one night when another car ran a red light and slammed into us. My car was totaled. And as a single parent who’s also a college student, I didn’t exactly have the cash to buy another one. But I did have Collision coverage so I got the actual cash value of my car minus my deductible. That helped me lease a used SUV. Without that coverage, I don’t know what I would have done. Alice, 45 Single mother of two I’ve been in a couple of accidents, but that doesn’t make me a bad driver. They happened under completely different circumstances. But one thing was the same in both accidents—my poor car took a beating. I got a newer, little SUV. It's perfect for hauling the kids and all the gear that goes along with them, and it still gets decent gas mileage. I really depend on it to get to work and drive everywhere I need to go. Plus, my budget doesn't really allow for big, unexpected repair bills. So, I got a $500 collision deductible. It turned out to be a great move. My repair bills after the accidents were in the thousands, but I was only responsible for the $500 deductible for each accident. Heather, 64 Widowed and retired If you ask me, they need to be more careful with those construction zones. Sometimes it seems like they changed things around every week. New temporary lanes, new orange cones ... I never know what to expect. One morning I was doing some errands, and without even realizing it I crossed into the other lane. I crashed right into another car. It was awful! The car was damaged beyond repair. But thank goodness I had Collision coverage! Allstate sent me a check for the actual cash value of my car, and all I was responsible for was the deductible, which wasn’t too much. Amy, 32 Married, no kids, buying her first home A few months ago my boss sent me out for a solo meeting with one of our bigger clients. So there I was on the highway and all of a sudden a refrigerator rolls out the back of a truck up ahead of me. The guy in the next lane swerves to miss it, I swerve to miss him and hit the guardrail. It even made that shower of sparks they always show in the movies. I was scared to death... and my car was a mess! I had never filed an insurance claim before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. But it was really easy and everything was done fast. Since there was so much damage, Allstate paid me the actual cash value minus my deductible so I could replace my wrecked car. Works for me. Mike, 23 Recent grad starting first job Here’s a story that still gets me mad: I was the first car at a red light. When the light turned green, I started to go. And the guy next to me tried to cut into my lane. He didn’t make it and rammed me instead. I guess he was trying to save a little time by jumping ahead of traffic. Awesome. The only good thing about this story is that my Collision coverage came through for me. My deductible wasn’t too big, and the related repairs beyond that were covered. I would have been in major trouble otherwise. Jenny, 24 Young professional, just married and getting ready to move in with husband I’ve been driving since I was 16, and I never had an accident until right after I got my new car. And it wasn’t even my fault! Some lady ran a stop sign and plowed right into me. The car was financed, and the lender required me to have Collision coverage. Because of that, all I was responsible for was the deductible. That was a big relief. Greg, 22 About to graduate and buying his first car Most of the insurance issues I’ve had didn’t have anything to do with me. I guess that’s a good thing. Like, a few months ago my roommate borrowed my car to go to a show. Took a bunch of his friends, too. On the way home, he turned left in front of a car coming the opposite way. The car was a total mess, damaged beyond repair. I thought I was sunk because someone else was driving, but it turns out in this situation it was covered. Because of my Collision coverage, Allstate wrote me a check for the car’s actual cash value minus my deductible. Now that I’m graduating, I’m going to use the money as a down payment on something a little nicer ... something I’ll never loan my roommate. |