Mountain highways and old streets produce damage that nobody hit you to cause. Which cover responds depends on what the vehicle struck and whether it was moving.
Hitting a pothole is a collision claim. A rock falling onto the car is comprehensive. The deductibles can differ.
Three things about damage from the road itself.
Striking a pothole, a dropped object or debris is treated as a collision even though no other vehicle was involved, and your collision deductible applies. A rock falling from a cutting onto your car is comprehensive. The same mountain road produces both, with different deductibles and different consequences for your record.
Public entities have notice requirements, short deadlines and immunities that make recovery hard unless the hazard was known and unaddressed. It is worth reporting the hazard regardless, and it is not a realistic substitute for your own cover.
A serious pothole strike damages wheels, suspension and alignment, and the total often sits just above or below a typical deductible. Knowing your deductible before deciding whether to claim is the practical step, because a marginal claim can cost more in renewal than it returns.
Cover for roads rather than drivers.
Road hazard strikes fall under it, not comprehensive.
The same road produces both kinds of claim.
We will do that arithmetic rather than filing automatically.
Tell us your current deductibles and the roads you drive regularly.
