There were a total of 165,100 road casualties of all severity levels on UK roads for the year ending June 2019, according to a report by the UK government. While this number is quite sad, it can be even more disheartening to learn that some of the people involved in these road accidents weren’t compensated through insurance. If any of them had borrowed a car whose policy didn’t cover them, the chances are that they had to cater to the ad hoc damages.
You wouldn’t want this to be a member of your family or a friend. That’s why it makes sense to know which drivers are included in your auto insurance policy. Other than reducing the chances of getting your insurance claim denied following an accident, it can help you identify the best people to lend your car to.
Here are some details to help you know who you should add to your policy:
The Costs of Adding another Driver
Adding a driver to your insurance coverage will definitely affect the rate you typically pay. However, this won’t always increase the rate and some drivers will help lower your rate. It all depends on both the primary and secondary drivers.
For instance, if you choose to add someone with a poor driving record, your rates are bound to increase. On the other hand, adding a driver who is certified as a skilled driver will improve your rate. Of course, they can always take driving tests to get certified. The decision, however, trickles down to how your insurance agency calculates insurance rates.
Who Should Be Added?
Ideally, you should add anyone who has access to your car and has a driving license after taking lessons or a crash course. It can be anyone in the line of a spouse, boyfriend, or even teenagers who have reached the driving age. In some cases, insurance agencies might require you to list anyone who you live with and has access to your car, but isn’t related to you.
It might be wise to add such people if they borrow your car often. For instance, if your roommate gets into an accident while driving your car, your insurance company might fail to cover the damages if you were required to cover your roommate in their policies, but failed to do so. The good thing is that it might barely cost you anything to add a roommate to the policy.
When Is Adding Someone Not Necessary?
It will not be necessary to add a driver that doesn’t live with you and only uses the vehicle once in a blue moon. For instance, a guest who only borrows your car for a moment will be protected under the ‘permissive user’ clause of your insurance. On the other hand, any other driver who has their own insurance policy will not necessarily need you to add them to yours. In case of an accident, their cover will cater to the damage.
Who to Add Temporarily?
If someone is using your car for an extended period, you should consider adding them to your policy temporarily. For instance, having a baby sitter use your car over the holidays makes them legible to be added to your policy. The choice will trickle down to how the person relates to you, your agency’s policies, and the length of time they will be using the vehicle. Be sure to contact your insurance agency to gauge whether it would be right to add someone to your policy temporarily.
Conclusion
Accidents, if not catered for by insurance, can take a toll on your finances. Even worse, you might have to take care of any medical costs resulting from injuries during the accident Talk to your insurance agency to know who needs to be included in your policy.
