Reader’s Question:

A crippled war veteran asked me a favor to drive him around next week. In this case, who will then be responsible for the insurance? In case of an accident, what does an insurance policy typically covers? If the car is not insured or registered and I was asked to pull over by an officer, will I be ticketed because of this? If I’m driving someone else’s car and the car is insured, is it true that the insurance company covers the bare minimum in an accident?

Arthur

Jacksonville, FL

If your vetaran friend has a car insurance and you got an accident while driving his car, the insurance on the vehice would be primary and the if the limit is not high enough to pay the damages, your insurance as the driver would be secondary. Auto insurance companies follow this vehicle first and driver second.

The owner of the car should ensure that you will be covered under their current policy if you would drive him around as they want. Though most of the auto insurance companies can cover friends and people who would occasionally drive the owner’s car, there are certain exclusions so the owner should explain the situation to the insurance company to ensure that you will be covered on the policy for this case.

A basic liability policy which is required in most states covers injuries and damage to properties of the third party but not the vehicle driven if the driver is at fault. Collision would also be need. The owner of the vehicle should ensure that liability and collision coverages are extended to the driver of the vehicle. This is just one of the many other types of auto
insurance policies.

What insurance will be extended or transferred to the driver of the vehicle that is borrowed depends upon the guidelines of the insurance policy,the state insurance laws and the owner’s insurance policy. The owner of the vehicle should check this matter to his insurance company.

It is illegal to drive a vehicle without a registration or an insurance. State laws differs in that some would give ticket to the vehicle, thus the owner, while others give ticket to driver because of driving an unregistered or uninsured vehicle. In other states, the discretion is upon the law enforcement officer who asked the driver to pull over.