If I backed into a pole in a parking lot, do I need a police report to file a claim?

I have a $100 deductible and after backing into a pole in a parking lot the repair estimate is about $1,000. In December of 2016, I also filed a comprehensive claim after hitting a possum that resulted in about a $2,000 repair. Should I file a claim with Pekin insurance, and will my rate go up if I do?

First off, a police report is not always necessary to file a claim, especially for incidents that only involve one vehicle.

As for your second question, should you file a claim, the choice will ultimately be up to you. However, I recommend following the advice below before deciding to file a claim:

1. Get an estimate for the damage at a local repair shop, which you already said is $1,000.
2. Our State of Insurance report shows that the average premium in Illinois is $1,285 and the average increase for at-fault accidents is 42%, meaning your premium could increase by $544 per year. Most insurance companies will charge you for 3 years for at-fault accidents and claims, meaning that the $544 will stretch to over $1600 in fees, plus your $100 deductible. It's about $700 cheaper to pay for the damage out of pocket than file a claim (according to our data).

Again, the choice to file a claim with Pekin is completely up to you, but I would caution you that it really is intended for situations where you suffer a catastrophic loss. If you can easily afford the $1,000 repair, I recommend paying for it out of pocket.

The last thing to think about is the difference between this claim and your previous claim. This claim would be considered a collision claim while your previous claim, a comprehensive claim, is unlikely to impact your rate. This, as we demonstrated above, won't be the case with this particular claim. If you're interested in learning more about the claims process or aren't sure whether or not you should file a claim, look at our claims calculator. Good luck!