Expert: Richard Hixenbaugh - 6/3/2010

Question
My son, age 20, who is away at college in California (we are California residents), got a series of speeding tickets in a short period of time. His license has been suspended for 6 months. He has no car available to him at school (he was using ours)and swears he will not drive until his license is reinstated. He has been covered under my auto insurance policy as a part time driver using a car, at times, registered under my name. Question: should I continue to cover him under my policy (major national carrier starting with an A) although he has no car and is not driving? Would it be difficult to put him back on the policy after 6 months? If he does something stupid like driving, gets in an accident in with else's car, will he be covered?

Answer
Hi Chris,

Regardless if you take your son off or leave him on, your insurance rates are going to go sky high as soon as your insurance company runs a DMV report and learns of the tickets and suspension. You should check with your insurance company to see if they will allow you to spicifically exclude your son from coverage. If you do this you must be sure he understands that even after he gets his license back he can not drive any of your cars for 3 years until his record clears. If after he gets his license back he drives someone elses car he will be covered under that cars policy. Auto insurance follows the car and not the driver. He just will not be able to drive any cars that are on your policy or in your household.

At age 20 with several speeding tickets a suspension and being a male, you son is likely looking at several thousand dollars per year for auto insurance if you leave him on your police or if he gets his own policy.

I hope this helps
Richard Hixenbaugh