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Learners Permit And Your Young Driver
Yes. You do need auto insurance when driving with a learner’s
permit. This insurance must adhere tot eh laws of the state in which you are
driving. In general, however, a person with a learner’s permit will be
automatically covered by the insurance of their parents, as long as the parents
are in the car and the person is obeying the laws of driving under a learner’s
permit.
This statement is a large generality. You should
check with your individual agent as car insurance laws and insurance varies by state.
But
do you have to add your teen to your policy when he gets a driver's permit or a driver's license? The answer could increase your car insurance rate of
hundreds of dollars. Give me a call or e-mail and we can talk about your options.
Permit vs. license
Driving
permits allow teens to drive, but under some restrictions: There must be a
licensed driver in the vehicle and, in some states, teens with permits are confined
to daytime driving only. In addition, a driver's permit generally expires after
60, 90 or 180 days.
Most
states have some form of "graduated licensing" law, which phases in
driving experience for younger drivers, allowing beginners to gain experience
under lower-risk conditions first and then gradually increasing to more complex
driving situations. In most states, the graduated period begins at age 15 or 16 in a few states tihs process can start as early as 14 and progresses to a full driver's license by the time the teens reach 17 years
of age.
For
graduated licensing details for your state, see state-by-state provisions
for teenage drivers.
With
a driver's license, on the other hand, teens can drive alone. Restrictions may
include the type of vehicle and whether or not the driver must wear corrective
lenses.
Some
states allow insurance companies to require that you list a teen with a driving
permit on your insurance policy. According to the Insurance Information
Institute (III), these states include Illinois,
Indiana, Maryland,
New York, North Carolina,
Ohio, Pennsylvania,
Virginia and West Virginia. Many insurers generally do
not charge insurance premiums for teens with driver's permits, opting to wait
until they are licensed drivers, but you should still list them on your policy.
Insurance
companies will look for a particular date — either your teen's 16th birthday or
the date his or her learner's permit expires — to begin charging you for an
additional driver. If your teen does not get his or her driver's license,
notify your insurer so that your next car insurance bill isn't a shocker.
You
should inform your insurance company when your teen attains a license. However,
if you forget and your teen is involved in a crash, it's unlikely your insurer
will deny your claim — assuming your teen obtained his or her license after the
effective date of your policy. Still, your insurance company can charge you
back premiums for your teen from the date he or she received a driver's
license. But if your teen obtained his or her license before you renewed your
policy and you failed to notify your insurer, the situation is less clear. Many
jurisdictions could consider this a misrepresentation of a material fact and
permit the insurer to deny coverage in the event of an accident. The safest
course is to notify your insurer as soon as your teen starts to drive.
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