Does insurance cover damage from road debris?

Q: If I hit something on the freeway will my insurance cover it?

Yes , as long as you have the correct car insurance coverage. Collision with an item on the road generally falls under collision coverage. You will have to pay your deductible.

Does insurance cover road debris damage?

Car insurance does cover damage done by road debris accidents. If your vehicle is damaged from running into or running over an object on the road, like a mattress, tire tread or a ladder, then your collision coverageCollision coverage helps pay for repairs or replacement of your car if it's damaged in an accident, regardless of who is at fault and is subject to a deductible. will pay for repairs. If the object flies through the air and hits your car, your comprehensive coverage will come into play. You will need to pay a deductibleThe deductible is the amount you pay out of pocket for a covered loss when you file a claim. when you make a collision or comprehensive claim.

Personal injury protectionPersonal injury protection (PIP) pays for your medical, hospital and funeral expenses resulting from a car accident, regardless of who's at fault. covers treatment for injuries as well as follow-up care.

Is hitting road debris an at-fault accident?

Whether a road debris accident is considered an at-fault accident depends on the circumstances. If the object was already lying in the road, your insurer will likely consider it an avoidable accident and an at-fault claimAn insurance claim is a request you make to your insurance company for coverage after your car is damaged or you have an accident. You can file a claim online, by phone, or in writing.. If debris falls off another vehicle and you are unable to avoid colliding with it, it may not be seen as an at-fault accident, especially if you can prove how it happened with witness statements or video.

If you're involved in a collision with road debris, take pictures of the scene and obtain contact information for any witnesses who may be able to corroborate that the collision was unavoidable.

Is hitting road debris covered under comprehensive insurance?

Whether comprehensive insurance covers road debris damage depends on how the contact happened. If you hit a tree or big rock that’s fallen on the road, it’s a collision insurance claim because you collided with the object. But if a tree fell on your car or a boulder landed on your hood, most insurers would classify the incident as a comprehensive insurance claim.

Who is responsible for road debris damage?

If the accident resulted from an improperly secured load, you can file a road debris insurance claim against the other driver's liability insurance if you can identify them. File a police report after such an incident, and if you have a dashboard camera can come in handy, provide the police with the footage. The camera may have captured the license plate number of the car or truck that lost the object. This, along with the police report, may help you to file a claim against the other driver.

However, in instances where the debris is already loose on the road, there's no one around to blame. Unfortunately, your insurance company might see this as an at-fault accident, but it depends on the circumstances.

After a road debris incident:

Pull over safely and document the scene. Take photos and, if anyone else has stopped as a result of the debris, share contact information for future statements.
If the road debris came off another vehicle, call the police and make a report.
Preserve any dashcam footage.
Contact your insurance company to file a claim if necessary. Your insurer will determine fault and whether collision or comprehensive applies, and, if another driver is involved and identified, help you seek reimbursement from their insurer.

What are the penalties for not securing items in or atop your car?

Drivers who carry items in or atop their cars are required by law in most states to secure them properly. Penalties range from $50 under littering statutes in a few states to as much as $5,000 in Washington – plus jail time –if another person is injured.

In some states, such as Utah, repeat offences result in increasing penalties:

First-time offenders face a $260 fine for failing to secure a load
Repeat offenders are hit with a $510 penalty
Repeat offenders who cause multiple accidents face a $760 penalty.

Tickets for failing to secure a load typically do not appear on a driver's motor vehicle record and thus do not affect car insurance rates.

How common is road debris?

Every year Caltrans, the agency responsible for California’s highways and bridges, collects some 270,000 cubic yards of trash along the state’s roadways – the equivalent of about 18,000 garbage truck loads.

Among the most common items reported are Christmas trees. Highway patrol officers also see their fair share of furniture, lumber, tools, mattresses, garbage and appliances.

The Illinois Department of Transportation says it spends more than $6 million a year cleaning up road debris – or enough taxpayer money to repave about 30 miles of road.

Most things that end up on the road are from passenger vehicles, but sometimes the road debris comes from commercial trucks, such as tire treads from big rigs. Some commercial truck owners retread tires instead of replacing them, and occasionally the new treads separate from the tires. Often the truck driver doesn't realize what's happened until later. With 18 wheels, the loss of tread on one isn't noticeable while driving.

The pieces of tread look harmless, but the rubber is embedded with metal.

Kristin Luehrs, a traffic reporter for WTVR CBS Channel 6 in Richmond, Virginia, tells of one driver whose pickup was hit by a whole wheel – not just the tread – that flew off a big rig. The wheel hit the hood and smashed the windshield. Amazingly, the pickup driver was able to pull off the road unscathed.

How do you avoid debris on the freeway?

According to AAA, the best way to avoid hitting road debris is to maintain a safe distance from vehicles in front of you and staying alert for potential dangers. If you can't safely avoid road debris, hitting it at a slower speed is often safer than swerving to avoid it (this may not be true for objects like boulders); redue your speed as much as possible and maintain control of the vehicle.

AA's safety tips include:

Maintain "a high visual horizon." Continually search the road ahead at least 12 to 15 seconds for debris.
Don’t tailgate. By leaving at least 3 to 4 seconds of following distance, you can see potential objects in the road ahead easier.
If you can't avoid something in the road, it's probably safer to hit it than to swerve and risk losing control of the car. Safely reduce your speed as much as possible prior to making contact.
Properly secure a load on your vehicle. Test your cargo before you leave and if it moves around, then do a better job of tying it down.
When driving at dusk and dawn be on alert for animals on or near the road.
If you lose something from your vehicle, pull off to the side of the road where it's safe, call 911, and stay in your vehicle with your seat belt fastened. Don’t try to dodge traffic to retrieve the item.
Call 911 to report hazards in the roadway.

FAQ: Insurance and road debris

If I hit something on the freeway will my insurance cover it?

Yes, as long as you have the correct car insurance coverage. Collision with an item on the road generally falls under collision coverage. You will have to pay your deductible.

Will my insurance go up if I hit an object on the road?

Your insurance will go up if the road debris collision is considered at-fault, which it likely will if you hit an object on the road rather than being struck by flying debris. At-fault accidents result in increased insurance rates in most cases; if you have accident forgiveness, you may be able to

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