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Your auto insurance provider may not approve of an individual living in your home operating your vehicle, even if the person is old enough and has a legal driver’s license. Various factors can contribute to this, and the individual is prohibited from driving your vehicle, even in most emergencies. Keep reading as the experienced professionals from Altra Insurance Services, a top provider of car insurance Chula Vista drivers rely on, explain what excluded drivers are and how they can impact your policy.
Coverage
When you apply for an insurance policy, your provider will generally ask who lives inside your home. These individuals can include spouses, parents, children, extended family members, and roommates, as long as they live in the same residence as you, the policyholder. Failing to list the individuals living in the home who drive your vehicle could cause financial and legal complications.
The reasons providers decide to exclude a driver will vary. It’s often because of medical conditions, a history of driving accidents and injuries, major traffic violations, or driving convictions such as DUIs.
Accidents
If an excluded driver continues to drive your vehicle and gets into a serious accident, it could lead to serious problems for you. Your current provider may refuse to pay for any damage done to the vehicle even if the excluded driver wasn’t at fault. If the person operating your car was at fault, your policy won’t cover damage done to the other vehicle.
Insurance companies also deny coverage for medical bills when an accident is caused by an excluded driver. In many situations, the excluded driver will need to pay for all the bills, or you could be responsible. You, as the car owner, may also be in legal trouble for allowing the excluded driver to operate your vehicle.
Removing a Driver
Excluding a driver isn’t the same as removing the individual from your insurance policy. Therefore, it’s imperative to know the difference so you can avoid being denied coverage and other problems.
An excluded driver is an individual who lives in your home but isn’t covered under your current policy if the person drives your insured vehicle. Your insurance company may know this person is under the same roof, but that provider hasn’t agreed to cover the individual.
In contrast, you may have had a driver who used to live at your home and was listed on your insurance policy, but the individual has moved out and you’ve completely taken him or her off your insurance. In these instances, your provider wouldn’t consider this individual at all.
Understanding Your Policy
Some vehicle owners withhold names to get lower rates. However, even if a driver isn’t listed or is excluded, this doesn’t necessarily mean your premium rate will be reduced. Many providers suspect the excluded driver will continue to operate the vehicle, causing the company to raise rates or cancel the policy altogether.
Insurance coverage rules and stipulations vary among insurance providers, which is why you need to verify the policy thoroughly before committing to it or giving any person living with you the ability to operate your insured automobiles.
If you need information on any aspect of car insurance, reach out to the experienced agents at Altra Insurance Services. We also offer several other types of insurance, including homeowners, renters, and motorcycle insurance. For high-quality coverage and unparalleled service, call us today to learn how we can help you with all your insurance needs.