Also, it seems like going through insurance is protecting the person at fault too.
People do shady shit and he could try to rip you off.
When insurance handles things, in my experience, it's pretty straight forward and you don't really have to be involved in anything. A lot more convenient for everyone involved.
No clue. Could you ask him to get you in contact with his insurer? That might be a way to go around having your insurance involved.
Also, some insurance has accident forgiveness for a first accident. You might find that having this reported to your insurance won't negatively impact your insurance.
Ugh. I hope this is true. We have Commerce Insurance and have been with them forever, but I don't remember anything about accident forgiveness. Should I call my insurance agent to find out?
This just sucks. I was rear ended a few years ago, almost the exact same situation. The guy asked not to go through insurance. I got a quote to have it fixed and it was only $350 and he just paid me. It was easy, I got it fixed and he didn't have to take the hit on his record. I guess I'm nicer than most people.
Or you have been lucky and not had a bad experience. I was nearly burned once, I will never again not involve my insurance. I'm generally a nice person until it starts costing me money.
DH was in an accident several years ago, and we thought he only had damage to his bumper. He car drove fine. The car was dropped off at a shop a day or two later, and once it was hoisted and the adjuster looked at it, they realized the frame was bent. The car was a total loss, and got scrapped. You can't fix a broken frame, and even in what may appear to be a minor accident, if you hit a car in the wrong way there can be major (hidden) damage.
I called my insurance company after the fact, years ago. Adrenalin is pumping through you even if you're not at fault. Once I got home and took my shirt off, I realized I had marks from where my seatbelt had grabbed me. It wasn't until I had time to wind down, per se, that I realized how hard I must have been hit. I immediately picked up the phone.
So even if your rates go up because of this, YOU'RE more protected going through insurance. You can always pay for the repair yourself and work that out through your insurance company, which could keep the rate increase down some.
Or you have been lucky and not had a bad experience. I was nearly burned once, I will never again not involve my insurance. I'm generally a nice person until it starts costing me money.
You need to stop looking at your situation like this.
You were at fault.
He's protecting both of you. And your finances. (Believe it or not.)
Having a negative viewpoint will consume you, and make the situation worse.
Insurance rates aren't set in stone. There's a good reason why they adjust when there are claims. We can't expect low rates when we have an accident. And insurance companies should be aware of accidents to keep everyone on a level field in terms of coverage costs.
Sorry you were in an accident. Most, if not all of us, have been there and done that. It sucks.
I did the same thing a few years back. I talked to my insurance company and they appraised the damage, but I paid out of pocket for the repairs and it didn't run through my insurance. I don't think you can force him to not go through insurance, but maybe remind him that you'd prefer to pay for the repairs yourself or something.
ETA: the repairs were to my own vehicle, the other party never filed a claim. After reading the other responses, I probably would go through insurance no matter what so that my interests were fully protected.