Q: Can I get out of not having insurance at the time of an accident?

A: Generally, insurance companies determine the status of being insured as of the time a claim happens. If you are involved in an event, like a collision, a homeowners disaster, or some other event, whether or not insurance will cover that depends on whether you had coverage before the event happened. Why? Because insurance companies price coverage based on the risk they think you present to filing a claim. The more likely a claim is expected to occur, or the more expensive the potential damage, the more an insurance company will charge for the premium. There are other factors as well that go into calculating an insurance premium. However, what is not avoidable is that you cannot usually go out after the fact in most cases and obtain insurance to cover an event that has already happened. The only situation where this comes up sometimes is a situation where you purchase a car or vehicle and drive it off the lot before your insurance is in place. Many companies have policies that include what's known as an after acquired property clause, which says that, within a short period of time after purchase, you can go purchase insurance and have that vehicle or other property fall within the coverage. In the case of dealing with a traffic ticket for not having auto insurance, many city courts in Tennessee will dismiss the charge if you come to court with proof of insurance, which you would have secured after the incident. Courts generally want to see that people are following the law, and know that is more important than collecting small fines for not having proof of auto insurance.