3/6/08

How many states in the US are 'No-fault' states?

Answer :

12 states and Puerto Rico have no-fault auto insurance laws. Florida, Michigan, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania have verbal thresholds. The other seven states ' Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Dakota and Utah' use a monetary threshold. Three states have a "choice" no-fault law. In New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Kentucky, motorists may reject the lawsuit threshold and retain the right to sue for any auto-related injury. Colorado's law reverted back to the tort liability system in July 2003.

If your child gets a learners permit do you have to add them to your policy?

Answer :
It looks like there are two questions here, but really they fall under the same answer.

One, if your kid is excluded from driving one of your vehicles, it's pretty much a "done deal." By that, it means that anytime he drives one of your vehicles -- even if it's just to park the car -- he would be excluded. Your insurance company wouldn't pay for any damages he caused if he had an accident (though sometimes they will pay the damages to your own vehicle under your first-party coverage).

If he's just gotten a learner's permit, and you plan on letting him drive (even with you in the car), the exclusion would still apply. You can argue with your carrier until you're blue in the face, but if the exclusion still exists, they won't cover damages he causes while driving.

Your best bet: Remove the exclusion and, as your carrier suggests, add your kid on as an occasional driver. A lot of companies don't even offer the "occasional driver" provision, so you're probably going to save money that way. However, once your kid gets his actual license, and starts driving regularly, he needs to be added on as a regular driver.

Hope that answers your question. I couldn't tell from your question, but it seems like your carrier is requiring your kid be added as an occasional driver because he's gotten a learner's permit. This is a reasonable expectation in my book, because your carrier would naturally expect the kid to drive with a learner's permit.

Answer :
I (in California) recently got in to a similar situation. Soon after I got married last month, my wife (she has never driven in the US before) now has a learner's permit and the question of her insurance coverage while she is behind the wheel learning with me beside her, cropped up.

I called up my insurance company (Unitrin) to be informed that as long as I am beside her, she is covered under my policy all through her learning.

It is only when she finally gets her license, that she needs to/can be added as an additional driver to my policy.

So the bottom line is, the learner is covered under the instructor's (in a family) policy while learning.

Answer :
In the state of California, this depends on your carrier. Many carriers require that the child be added as a driver as soon as he/she gets the permit. Others state that the child does not have to be added to the policy until he/she gets a license.

Answer :
Don't even think of calling Geico, they will automatically add your child to the policy and you HAVE to pay for it or sign an exclusion, just for asking.

As far as I understand, your insurance agency has to cover anything that happens while your child is driving and you are beside him/her.

Then, after he or she obtains his/her license, then go and make sure they are insured.

Answer :
Your insurance contract likely has wording that says you have an obligation to report changes such as this. It is the same language that makes it mandatory to report accidents. A lot of companies dont start charging for the child until they get a regular or graduated license, however.

How is PLPD insurance different from no-fault or full coverage auto insurance?

Answer :

PLPD stands for Public Liability and Property Damage. It satisfies your obligation to the state, and offers no coverage to your vehicle's damage.


Answer :

PLPD also does NOT cover theft, fire, comprehensive, or loss of use, nor does it cover repairs, or replacement in case of damage.

Does an auto insurance policy have to be in the same name as the car loan?

Answer :

In most cases the name of the registered owner does have to be the name of the insured. But some companies may issue policies to anyone for any car, owned or not.

Can the car insurance be in your parents' name?

Answer :
Whether you live in the same residence as your mother or not, you bring up an important issue when you say "we're thinking this will be the most inexpensive way for me to drive."

Most carriers will allow your mother to carry insurance on both the vehicles, though there could be a problem if you live in a separate residence and keep the old car there. However, all carriers would require that you be listed as an insured driver, particularly if you're the main driver of your mom's old car.

Not adding you to the policy, and then admitting that you thought it would be the most inexpensive way to drive, is essentially material misrepresentation. Your mother pays for herself as a driver, but her rates wouldn't have you factored in. Most insurance carriers would promptly deny coverage in such a scenario if you were to have an accident. Of course, most people wouldn't admit that they were just trying to save money, which of course is insurance fraud (difficult to prove, but a mess when it is).

So, have your mom add you to her policy. Her rates may go up, but in the end, it probably is cheaper than you buying your own policy. It would be best for her to maintain ownership of her old car, as well, to avoid confusion about what a covered vehicle is.


Answer :

Insurance companies now use the term "household". As long as the child (married or unmarried of driving age) lives in the same house as the parent, he or she is considered a household member, therefore needing to be in the policy. The only way to exclude a household member (of driving age) from an auto policy would be for the following reasons:

1. That person has his/her own insurance policy. 2. Never been licensed

Insurance companies usually deny excluding a spouse from a policy, unless a divorce decree has been issued.