As a Parent Am I Required To Have My Teen Driver Added To My Auto Insurance?
Reader’s Question:
I live in Evansville, Indiana and my teenage son just got his drivers license. Am I required to inform my insurance carrier that he is already driving?
Ben
Evansville, IN
Yes, most insurance carrier require you to tell them of all licensed household drivers so you have tell your car insurance agent that your son already got his driver’s license. This means that he will have to be listed to your car insurance policy and be rated as a driver in your policy.
Insurance providers rules and guidelines vary but generally insurance providers will require you to add all licensed drivers in your household on your car insurance policy in Evansville, Indiana. Since your son has already obtained his drivers license your car insurance carrier should be informed and they will advise you if you are required to add your son or not, most likely you will have to add him in order for him to have coverage.
An insurance carrier is allowed to consider all resident operators of an insured automobile in rating of a car insurance policy. This includes your teen, even if he has only a learner’s permit.
Do I Have To Add My Young Driver To My Auto Insurance Policy?
Reader’s Question:
I live in Ann Arbor, Michigan and I would like to know if I have to name my sixteen year old son as a driver on my car insurance policy? I have been told that if I have auto insurance then anyone I permit to drive my car is covered.
Jerome
Ann Arbor, MI
Most insurance carriers in Ann Arbor, Michigan require you to list all licensed household members on your car insurance policy since they are a risk factor the insurance carrier is allowed to take into account when determining your car insurance rates. According to the MI insurance regulator, the Office of Financial and Insurance Services, in their insurance consumer information sheet that your insurance carrier will ask about all licensed drivers in your household and look up their driving history as part of the rating process.
While automobile insurance normally covers those that the vehicle owner gives permission to operate it, the insurance carrier also has the right to require as part of your car insurance policy that you tell them of all licensed household members so they can pull their driving history and rate you accordingly. Friends that may borrow your vehicle from time to time are not the same type of risk for an insurance companies and that is why friends and neighbors are not required to be listed on your auto insurance policy while household members are. Household members obviously have access to the automobile that those living outside of your residence do not.
If your son is just starting the Michigan graduated driver licensing (GDL) process and only has his learner’s license you should inform your insurance carrier. It may be that they will permit you to wait until he is fully licensed before requiring him to be added or will want him added now at this stage.
You can contact your insurance carrier to determine what they require of you regarding listing your sixteen year old son on the car insurance policy. If you have specific MI insurance law questions you can contact the Michigan insurance regulator.
