Does New Driver in Utah Get Auto Insurance Coverage From Parent
Reader’s Question:
This is Savannah from Layton, Utah. My parents gave me their spare car as a present, and I just got my driver’s license. If they’re covered, the car is still titled to them, would I still need my own insurance?
Savannah
Layton, UT
Good day to you, Savannah! I am Denny, and I just acquired my first car 2 months ago in pretty much the same way you did– courtesy of my parents.. Though I live just three blocks away from them, they’d like me to be as independent from them as possible. So they had the car title transferred to my name, and I had to get my own insurance because of that.
I think the main idea is that you would only need to get your own car insurance if the car were “legally” yours, so to speak– that is, if it’s titled to you. Now, I don’t know how things are with you and your parents there in Layton, Utah, but if you’re still living with them, and they have insurance for the car that is still under their name, then you shouldn’t need to get your own insurance. What you need, though, is to have them list you as the primary driver of that car. And you might also ask them if they could have you listed as an occasional driver of the other cars for good measure– as you would only get coverage for driving their other cars if your name is included in the policy.
Penalties for Driving Without Car Insurance in Utah
Reader’s Question:
My teenage brother was cited for driving without car insurance in Salt Lake City, Utah. What penalty should he expecting?
Mark
Salt Lake City, UT
In Utah, the law requires drivers to carry proof of insurance and present it to any police officer upon request. In addition to that, for many years, Utah has compared its car registration file with a database of insurance policies written to Utah residents. When the computer program finds out a Utah-registered vehicle does not have a corresponding insurance policy, a letter will be sent to the car’s registered owner, requiring the owner to provide proof of insurance.
If the owner of the car fails to provide satisfactory proof of insurance after receipt of the letter, that information will be provided to the Tax Commission’s Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV), and state and local law enforcement.
If an individual is convicted for failure to insure a car, the Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS) is required to suspend the person’s driver license. DPS may not issue or renew a driver license to the individual until the person gives the agency operator’s security or proof of owner’s and pays a reinstatement fee.DPS also will notify DMV upon receipt of such proof.
