Minor Child and Auto Insurance

[bbqpops]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Nebraska

My fourteen year old son has recently gotten his driving privileges via a Nebraska DMV issued School Permit.

He is allowed to drive to and from school and school functions using the shortest route possible. From our home it is two miles.

My question is about auto insurance coverage on the vehicle I have provided for him to drive. It is fully insured by myself and my wife. He is not listed on the insurance card. The address for the insurance card and registration matches that of his School permit.

My question is about coverage. Is he legally driving w/o insurance by not being listed on the card?

Thank you in advance.

 

[Silverplum]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Nebraska

My fourteen year old son has recently gotten his driving privileges via a Nebraska DMV issued School Permit.

He is allowed to drive to and from school and school functions using the shortest route possible. From our home it is two miles.

My question is about auto insurance coverage on the vehicle I have provided for him to drive. It is fully insured by myself and my wife. He is not listed on the insurance card. The address for the insurance card and registration matches that of his School permit.

My question is about coverage. Is he legally driving w/o insurance by not being listed on the card?

Thank you in advance.

And the reason you don't want to call your insurance agent and ask is...?

 

[bbqpops]

I have.

They are out of town this week. The office worker couldn't give me a definite answer.

 

[Silverplum]

I have.

They are out of town this week. The office worker couldn't give me a definite answer.

Then call the Regional Office. (And get their answer in writing.)

While you're on the phone with the RO, make sure they know that their "office worker" couldn't answer a basic question.

 

[bbqpops]

Ok. Thank you.

 

[sandyclaus]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Nebraska

My fourteen year old son has recently gotten his driving privileges via a Nebraska DMV issued School Permit.

He is allowed to drive to and from school and school functions using the shortest route possible. From our home it is two miles.

My question is about auto insurance coverage on the vehicle I have provided for him to drive. It is fully insured by myself and my wife. He is not listed on the insurance card. The address for the insurance card and registration matches that of his School permit.

My question is about coverage. Is he legally driving w/o insurance by not being listed on the card?

Thank you in advance.

He is ILLEGALLY driving without insurance by not being listed on the insurance card or covered on the insurance policy. Just because you and your wife are legally covered and insured does not automatically extend said coverage to your minor child with a school permit.

You need to contact your insurance company and add him to your policy. Expect to receive a significant premium increase due to the fact that he is inexperienced and more likely to cause or be involved in accidents while he is learning to drive.

 

[Zigner]

He is ILLEGALLY driving without insurance by not being listed on the insurance card or covered on the insurance policy. Just because you and your wife are legally covered and insured does not automatically extend said coverage to your minor child with a school permit.

Slow down there - it's entirely possible that the insurance policy will cover the child in this situation.

You need to contact your insurance company...

I agree with that.

 

[bbqpops]

I got a hold of a corporate office.

My son is covered up until 30 days from issuance from the permit without being included on the policy. After that, it would have been considered withheld information.

Long story short. I added him now.

That boy is gonna need a J.O.B.

That was one expensive call.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Silverplum]

I got a hold of a corporate office.

My son is covered up until 30 days from issuance from the permit without being included on the policy. After that, it would have been considered withheld information.

Yup.

Long story short. I added him now.

That boy is gonna need a J.O.B.

That was one expensive call.

Yes, he DOES need a J.O.B.! So did I, so did my H, so did his sons. We all lived and became responsible adults.

Thanks for your help.

You're very welcome!

 

[davew128]

He is ILLEGALLY driving without insurance by not being listed on the insurance card or covered on the insurance policy. Just because you and your wife are legally covered and insured does not automatically extend said coverage to your minor child with a school permit.

It also doesn't mean its illegal. Auto insurance mandates are on the vehicle. By your reasoning, if you borrowed the car it would also be illegal, which is clearly false.

 

[sandyclaus]

Zig, I stand corrected. Apparently there are some carriers out there that extend coverage to a newly permitted driver without requiring them to be added to the policy. In fact, some carriers won't even add a teen driver to the policy unless they have obtained their regular license.

I would say, however, in a situation where the child is allowed to drive unaccompanied by the parent or other adult, and where that person drives more than occasionally (i.e. to school and back every day, plus extracurriculars), it makes good sense to add them for your own protection if the carrier allows for it. Yes, it gets expensive, but that extra expense is part of the cost of having a teen driver in the household.

Note to OP - most definitely that child needs to be paying for the extra added cost of the insurance. That will help them remember that driving is a privilege that must be earned. If they are having to PAY for that privilege, chances are that they will be that much more responsible - and it certainly doesn't hurt to make sure they know it as early as possible.

 

[HighwayMan]

My fourteen year old son has recently gotten his driving privileges via a Nebraska DMV issued School Permit.

He is allowed to drive to and from school and school functions using the shortest route possible. From our home it is two miles.

I would feel really nervous about letting any fourteen year old drive unsupervised. He isn't required to have a licensed adult with him at any time?

 

[Zigner]

I would feel really nervous about letting any fourteen year old drive unsupervised. He isn't required to have a licensed adult with him at any time?

It's a too/from school thing (including extracurriculars) - there are guidelines on what kids qualify for it. I Googled it earlier.

 

[OHRoadwarrior]

I was lucky. OH requires a licensed driver and notification. They auto charge at next policy renewal, unless you called to let them know driver has not received their license yet.

 

[ecmst12]

If the child has a license, he needs to be listed on the policy in order to be covered. And yes, it's expensive to insure a teenager (for good reason, they have a lot of accidents). This is NOT the same as if someone that does not live in your household were to borrow your car - occasional users that are not resident relatives would be covered. But if a person drives the car regularly, or lives in the household, they need to be listed.