When you have auto insurance and get into an accident, you may need to file a claim to have repairs for your car paid. To make the most of this process, it’s good to take care of a few things on your end before calling your company:

■Compare repair costs to deductible: If your repair costs are equal to or less than the deductible, you might avoid calling your company and paying the costs yourself. Get your car professionally appraised if you’re taking this route though.
■Take pictures of the vehicle before and after: If your car is in good condition and you haven’t been in an accident, it’s good to take pictures inside and out now with the time and date stamp. Then if you get in an accident, do the same thing to more easily prove that the damage viewed is associated with the accident.
■Know where your vehicle paperwork is: If you need to prove the car is yours or need additional paperwork for your vehicle, you want to make sure it’s readily accessible when you need it.
If you can find a company with a good reputation for handling the claims process and make it a habit of being prepared to handle claims smoothly on your end, you could be one of the people on the 2011 survey to report a good experience with your company.