Will Car Accident Affect My Auto Insurance Rate in Utah
Reader’s Question:
I live in Utah and was involved in a car accident. It has not been determined yet who was responsible for the accident. Will my liability insurance pay anyway if I was found at fault?
Lily
Ogden, UT
Liability insurance is a safeguard to your finances against serious damage you might cause to others or their property. However, proving who is at fault in a car accident can be quite difficult. More often than not, it may take delays and entail long and expensive legal action. And in the meantime, victims wait in uncertainty and may not get paid.
This is why car insurance companies created the no-fault insurance–to take the fault out of liability. This simply means that the victim’s own car insurance provider will be accountable for medical and repairs expenses incurred resulting from the accident regardless of who is responsible for the unfortunate incident. In this manner, delays and costs of legal action are eliminated.
Since Utah is a no fault state, it means that residents involved in a car accident will be covered by their respective auto insurance providers. So, you really need not worry if you were declared at fault since the other motorist’s medical expense will be shouldered by his insurer. You have to remember, though, that if the other motorist’s expenses exceed the limit set in their liability policy, then you will be held financially responsible to shoulder the remaining cost.
Should I Add my Teenager to my Car Insurance Policy?
Reader’s Question:
I am divorced and my teenage son stays with his dad every other weekend. In a couple of months, he is going to get his driver’s license. Is there a law regarding adding him to my policy? He will be using one of my cars which has insurance on my name. Do I need to list him on my policy? What about him being added to his dad’s policy since he occasionally drives one of his cars. I live in North Davis, Utah if that matters.
Louisa
North Davis, UT
Majority of car insurance companies would want to have information about other household members who have regular access to your cars. They would ask you to either list that person as ‘eligible’ to drive or ‘excluded’ from driving. If you want your son to be covered in cases of accidents, then you will need to inform your insurance company when he obtains his license (or permit). Most likely, your insurance company will require you to place him as an eligible driver on the policy.
It may seem confusing as to which parent’s auto insurance policy would children of divorced parents be included. Usually, the parent who has custody of the child should add the child to his or her policy as what many insurance providers suggest. In some cases, a parent has custody of the teen when the child is attending school. It would be wise to ask your insurance agent about the specific policy guidelines.
The teen will normally be covered by both parents’ policies if both parents are insured by the same company regardless of whether the child is listed as a driver on either policy. This is because some insurance policies define “an insured” as a person related to you by blood, marriage, or adoption who is a resident of your household. You will need to read through your policy language and/or contact North Davis, UT insurance agent for details since not all policies are the same.
