September 2018

There are a huge number of different factors that are taken into account when calculating a premium for car insurance. Everything from the make of a vehicle to how old it is plays a critical role. In addition, another factor that is critical to the calculation of premiums is whether or not the applicant has been in an accident or accidents before. Hence, many people wonder about whether their car insurance payments will go up after an accident. This article will explore all of the details regarding such a query.

The short answer regarding whether or not car insurance premiums will increase after an accident is yes. If an applicant for insurance is found to have made a claim regarding an accident in the past, they will have their premiums calculated to be higher than someone who hasn’t been in an accident before. Statistically, this is because, from the insurer’s point of view, those that have had an accident in the past are at a higher risk of making a claim than someone who hasn’t had an accident before. Thus, if someone has been involved in a situation such as a car crash, they can expect premiums to go up.

However, there is a lot more that needs to be considered when looking into the question of whether car insurance premiums will increase after an accident. Although premiums will certainly increase when compared to someone who hasn’t had an accident before, the rate of increase is highly dependent on a number of different factors. For example, the state where the insurance is being sought will greatly influence how much effect the history of an accident will have in the calculation of premium. This is because the effect that an accident may have, usually will lead to a great variation in the increase of premiums. On the lower end, only a twenty percent increase may occur, while on the higher end, fifty percent increases may occur.

Rates Vary by State

There is readily available data that shows which states provide the most leniency regarding insurance applicants with a history of car accidents. Generally, more rural states will have a lower penalty imposed on applicants that have made car accident claims in the past. Conversely, densely populated areas that already have high rates of car accidents will penalize those that have been involved in such situations much more than a rural area. Thus, this should be kept in mind if someone has a history of claims and is looking to get cheap car insurance.

However, there recently has been a number of different insurance companies that have implemented a forgiveness policy for applicants that have only had one claim in the past. Not all companies have adopted this policy. However, there is currently an increasing trend for insurance providers to discount the effects of a single claim in the history of an insurance applicant. It is worth noting that almost all of these forgiveness policies are limited to a single car accident in the past. If there is a consecutive number of claims that have been made beforehand, then it is almost certain that such policies will not be able to be applied.

A Better Credit Rating May Help

Generally, one way to counteract the effects of a past accident and the resulting increase in premiums is to get a better credit rating. Credit rating plays a large role in determining insurance premiums as well. Thus, if a person is faced with a larger premium because of a crash, they may spend resources on developing and bettering their credit rating. Usually, this means that with a little bit of effort, they will be able to pay their original premium, or sometimes even less, because their improved credit ratings have counteracted the original raise in premium. Hence, there are many other useful tactics that can be enforced by an insurance applicant with a history of accidents to lower their premium.

Thus, although it is almost certain that car insurance premiums will be increased if an insurance applicant has had an accident before, there are other factors that also have to be considered. For example, the increase in premiums may not be too bad if the applicant is in a rural state that is known for being lenient towards individuals with histories of accidents. Furthermore, the increased premiums can be sought to be counteracted through such means as credit ratings.

With the rise of popularity in shows and sporting events featuring mixed martials arts competitors, the martial arts, themselves have experienced a bit of a renaissance in terms of popularity. What was once thought of as an eclectic discipline has now become mainstream. Training centers offering various types of programs are popping up all over. An example is Fabin Rosa BJJ, which provides training in martial arts in Altamonte Springs.

Martial arts are a combination of traditional training practices, now turned to sports, originating from Asia (China, Japan and Korea) used for self-protection, fitness, discipline, respect, attack, development both physically and mentally and also entertainment. They do include karate, kung Fu, kendo, wrestling, boxing and judo. A martial artist therefore is a person who engages in these forms of training for the various reasons that have been discussed. The main idea behind martial arts is combining of the body, mind and spirit to operate as one entity harmoniously. Human aggression in the past inspired wrestling which was used for conflict settlement and later transformed into sport and a form of entertainment. There are different types of martial arts that have different origins:

1. Kung Fu

Kung Fu originated from China having different style depending on the institution and also the occasion. It is generally used to describe a person who has specialized in a particular type of martial art and also tied to the west to refer to the martial arts in the country of origin. It includes imitation of movement from animals like snakes, monkeys and eagles commonly inspired by the legends. It has techniques for both internal (for improving and individual’s IQ) and external (muscle) fitness. Common techniques include; Monkey, Praying Mantis, Eagle Claw and Wing Chun.

2.Judo

Judo originated from Japan. It is focused on throwing the opponent down and being determined to keep them there using submission maneuvers. Use of weapons and striking are only allowed if they are actually pre-arranged.

3. Karate

It also originated from Japan (Okinawa) that has lots of concentration on striking techniques (both knee and elbow). It focuses more on hand-striking techniques. Its traditional styles include Ryu (Wado, Shito, and Goju) and Shotokan.

4. Tae Kwon Do

It originated from Korea with training encompassing strikes, punches, takedowns and submissions which together improve balance and flexibility. It has emphasis on kicking techniques with students being exposed to forms (defined in this context as a prearranged procedure of techniques).

5.Tai Chi

Originates from China and is used for protection and also enhancement of good health among individuals. Some of the forms are famous for their slow movements thus encouraging it use for health purposes rather than defense.

6. Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)

It is a combination of various skills in a particular person for enhanced full contact aggression among the opponents. Striking when standing and also in the ground is allowed and has no specific rules unless the opponent is completely incapacitated.

7. Krav Maga

An Israeli wrestling style that used brutal encounters with the opponents which is aimed at incapacitating the using all the means that are available. It neither has rules nor uniforms but has a hierarchy that acknowledges the progress of individuals using badges and belts.

8. Aikido

Aikido originates from Japan and it involves assimilating the motion of the attacker rather that actually fighting them back. It is used for attackers that are stronger and hence their momentum during the encounter is used against them.

9. Muay Thai

It originates from Thailand with emphasis on using the eight points of contacts. The hands and the feet both have four contact points that are used in fighting making a total of eight contact points compared to other martial arts that use only four contact points. Most of the techniques and rules are also shared with the famous MMA.

10. Jiu Jitsu

It is also Japanese Martial art that aims at defeating an armed opponent with no weapons at all or using a relatively smaller weapon. The attacker’s energy at this instance is also used against them. The training is based on a couple areas including blocking, throwing (pivoted and non-pivoted), striking and also escape techniques.

11. Hapkido

Originally from Korea and it involves striking attacks, punching, kicking, joint locking and use of specific weapons (ropes and canes) that are allowed in the sport. It emphasizes on motions that do not resist movements but control the opponent using proper body positioning instead of a strength face-off.

The type of martial arts that individual decides to take is solely dependent on the purpose. The purposes have been discussed above and hence understanding each is important.