What Happens if I Get Into an Accident With Only A Learners Permit ?

Reader’s Question:

If my teenage son gets into an accident while driving my car and he is not included in my auto insurance policy, will he still be covered? He just got his learner’s permit here in
Washington.

Cynthia,

Seattle, WA

In most cases, people who are not included in auto insurance policies are not covered. In general, auto insurance companies oblige their customers to disclose all household members who may drive the insured vehicle. This is to establish the exact coverage that should be written in the contract and to avoid any confusion during the time when the insurance will be used.

In your case, if your son is not included in your auto insurance policy, you should immediately inform your auto insurance company there in Washington about it, so they could rearrange your auto insurance coverage.

If you plan to include your son to your auto insurance coverage, you may want to assign him to your vehicle that has the lowest value (if you have more than one vehicle). This will result to lower premium rates than when you assign him to the one with a higher value. However, you have to inform your son that he has to drive that vehicle more often than he would drive the other vehicles because it is in that assigned vehicle that he has financial security. Damage caused by driving the other vehicle may entail paying out of your own pocket, and that is something that you should avoid.