Am i aloud to drive my friend's car despite not having auto insurance of my own (i only have a valid drivers)?
Question:
I have a valid driver's licence but i don't own a car of my own so i dont have auto insurance...i decide to visit my friend who then gives me permission to drive her car. In the event of driving her car i get into an accident..What is the aftermath of this? Since i am not insured of any kind, but was given permission to drive my friend's car (who is insured) then what happens?
Am i viewed as a temporary "secondary driver" on her car while she is the official ongoing "primary driver" and so her insurance premiums will go up? But then, what kind of fault claims go against me since i have no insurance of any kind?
Am i even allowed to drive her car without having my own auto insurance already?
Insurance goes with vehicles, not with drivers. So even if you did have a vehicle and insurance, it wouldn't be yours covering. As long as you are driving with permission, you are covered under the friends policy.
She has the choice of either claiming though her insurance and risk her insurance going up or suing you for the damages.
Even though you had permission to drive it, you still hold responsibility of the car while it is in your possession.
You will be covered as long as you do not live at the same address she does, and that you aren't an excluded driver on her insurance policy. In the event of an accident you would be covered only once, the second time it happens you won't be.
Careful if she has liability only and not full coverage, her insurance wont fix her vehicle if you were at fault in an accident...then she would have no other option but to sue you for her vehicle damages.
With full coverage you would only have to pay the deductible...which you may want to ask her what it is, could range from $500-1,000.
Depends on her policy. Her policy might cover the accident, and it might not.
Depending on what state you live in, your parents' policies could be called into play, OR an auto policy for any member of the house you live in.
In any case, if you are sued directly for any damages you caused someone else, her policy will NOT respond - you are not a named driver, a named household member, or a named insured.
In most states, on most policies, it WILL cover the accident if you do not have regular use of her car - ie, if you're not a household member, and don't use the car more than once a month.
Regarding her insurance - it might go up, they might require her to list you as an operator, they could possibly cancel her . . . there are WAY too many variables for an accurate answer, she should be asking these questions of HER AGENT, who will have specific answers.
Each state has different laws covering this situation. In Texas and New Mexico, I was licensed in insurance in both states, you are covered if you have her permission to drive the vehicle. If you reside in the same household, you must be listed as a driver and then you do have insurance. If you have an accident, the insurance company might require you to be listed as an occasional driver.
In case of an accident and you are at fault, then your friend's insurance premium would probably go up.
A bigger problem is whether your friend has adequate liability coverage. If you are in your friend's car with permission and have an accident, then your friend is liable for the damages and injuries the same as if she was driving. She can be sued because she owns the vehicle. And by adequate, I mean at least $300,000 in liability.
I had a client loan his car to a friend and the friend hit and killed another motorist. My client's friend was at fault but my client was the one in court being sued for wrongful death.
If you do not live with the friend or have regular access to her vehicle, her insurance should cover you if you have a valid license. You can also purchase a broadform policy for yourself, covering you to drive other's vehicles, since you do not own one yourself.
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