I gave my son his car so that I wouldn’t need to take him to and fetch him from school here in Georgia. How does student automotive insurance work?

Agatha

Atlanta, GA

Agatha, if your son is a first time driver, this may spell trouble for your finances because teenage automotive insurance do not come in low prices. This is because teenage drivers are considered high-risk drivers by automotive insurance companies due to the high number of accidents involving teenage drivers.

However, there are steps you can take in order to turn your expensive teen automotive insurance to a cheaper one. So, what are these steps?

Include your son in an existing automotive insurance. This is going to make you eligible to avail of discounts. Discounts are available for multiple drivers, multiple vehicles and multiple policies in an insurance company. You may want to take advantage of this.

Also, since your son is a high school student, you should make sure that he gets good grades in school. You might be puzzled by the connection of this to your teen’s automotive insurance premium. The logic behind here is that automotive insurance companies would view your son as a responsible kid who is thus capable of being responsible as well on the road. Responsible drivers are highly unlikely to get themselves into road accidents.

Another way of doing this is by having your kid enroll in a driving course, basic driving course or defensive driving course. There should be accredited establishments there in your area in California that offer this kind of courses.

If you follow these tips, paying for your teen’s automotive insurance should not be much of a worry. But in any case, the coverage of your teen’s automotive insurance still depends on what you are going to specify to the insurers. So, just ask for some quotes from different automotive insurance companies.

I received a OUIL in Michigan almost five years ago and have had no violations since. I now live in Georgia, should I tell this conviction to an insurance company when applying for car insurance?

Sullivan

Athens, GA

Operating under the influence of intoxicating liquor or OUIL has now been renamed as OWI meaning operating while intoxicated.

In Michigan OWI is a misdemeanor unless charged as a 3rd offense within 10 years, in which case it’s a felony.

Now that you are living in Athens, Georgia an insurance provider can still access your Michigan driving history so you will need to tell this old conviction if asked for violations on your auto insurance application. If you do not mention this and the insurance provider finds out about this OWI then your car insurance quote would be inaccurate and need to be recalculated including this violation. If you have already received your car insurance policy and this offense is later found out about then it could be considered that you misrepresented your driving history which may be considered fraud.

Tags: auto insurance, traffic violation

My daughter lives in Atlanta GA, He had a Kentucky driver’s license but she has lost it. She had an accident and had let her insurance lapse. What kind of penalties she will be facing?

Arthur

Atlanta, GA

It will depend what all your daughter was cited for as to what penalties she will face. If she was found to be driving uninsured and without a license and was at-fault in an accident her penalties might be harsh.

In Kentucky, for a first violation of driving uninsured you must go to court and be imprisoned for not more than ninety days and can be fined between $500 to $1000 or both. Your Kentucky license plates and motor vehicle registration can be suspended for 1 year or until proof of auto insurance is presented. You also could lose your drivers license for up to 1 year.

To verify for sure what penalties she will be facing, if your daughter was cited for the above violations, she can call the court listed on her ticket and also check with the GA Department of Motor Vehicles.

My teenage daughter is 18 years old and still resides with me in Atlanta, my question is :can she drive your car without being listed on your auto insurance? A friend for example borrows your vehicle and gets into an accident, was it legal for them to drive your vehicle because you gave them permission? Therefore will your insurance provider cover costs incurred minus your deductible?

Michelle

Atlanta, GA

Most insurance companies in Atlanta require you to list all of your household residents. With those who are licensed (or of driving age), your insurance company will give you the choice of listing them as ‘eligible’ to drive or ‘excluded’ from driving. If they are listed as ‘eligible,’ they will be rated against your policy’s premiums. If they are ‘excluded,’ they will not be rated against your policy’s premiums; however, you are accepting full responsibility if you let them drive – even once and no matter the circumstance. Now, the example you provided is an entirely different issue. Also household residents, your insurance provider wants to know who will be driving your car with any frequency or regularity. If someone is going to be driving your car with any regularity or frequency, that individual will need to be listed as an ‘eligible’ driver on your car insurance policy. The insurance carrier will cover someone who does not reside with you and you let that individual drive it for a ‘one-time’ thing.

My brother’s vehicle was hit while parked on a street in Atlanta, Georgia. There was no witness and he is filing a claim with his insurance company. In the state of Georgia, is there a maximum deductible allowed for hit and run claims?

Polly

Atlanta, GA

According to the Georgia Department of Insurance (DOI), Uninsured Motorist Insurance may be included on an insurance policy. Although Georgia requires all motorists to have “liability insurance” to operate a vehicle, there are unfortunately those that either do not abide the law or may have unknowingly permitted their insurance to cancel.

For injury to or destruction of property of the insured, deductibles of $250.00, $500.00, or $1,000.00, at the choice of any named insured in the insurance policy. Subject to the approval of the Commissioner, deductibles above $1,000.00 may be offered, .

If your brother is filing a claim for the damages he sustained in Atlanta GA under collision and not Uninsured Motorist Property Damage (UMPD), then verify with the GA DOI to find out if there is a maximum deductible allowed since the damage is from a hit and run accident.