Susie is driving down the street when a dog runs in front of her car. She swerves to avoid the dog and hits a tree. This is an example of?

• A. Collision
• B. Both A and B
• C. Other than collision
• D. Neither A or B

Answer: (A)

The main idea is how auto insurance separates losses into collision versus other-than-collision. Collision coverage pays for damage to your own vehicle when you hit something, or when your vehicle is hit by something, in a way that involves a collision with an object. Here, the car ends up contacting a tree after the driver swerves to avoid a dog, so the damage comes from a collision with a fixed object. That fits the definition of a collision loss.

The other category covers non-collision events like theft, fire, vandalism, or weather/other incidents that don’t involve the vehicle colliding with an object. Since this scenario involves an impact with the tree, it isn’t these non-collision cases. The idea that it could be “both” categories or “neither” doesn’t apply here, because the loss clearly results from a collision.