Monday, February 1, 2010

What Is A Named Driver On A Policy

By Graham McKenzie

In all, an automobile insurance policy will have the names drivers as those that are going to be authorized to drive the car. Many policies only contain one named driver, however, if you have a household with other adults that can drive, you might want to consider placing them on as well.

Having more than one named driver on a policy has its good points as well as has some drawbacks. It is obvious that the good points would include complete coverage, flexibility in drivers, etc. This is especially nice for those parents who have multiple driving age children. This allows them to use the same car while all being covered.

A drawback, and possible the largest drawback, is the fact that the insurance premium does go up for every driver that you add to the insurance policy. The insurance company does this because as a driver is added, their risk goes up a lot. In other words, you might be a great driver, however, your brother might not be. If your brother is living in the home and is of driving age, there is a good chance that he might have to drive your car at one point or another. His bad record could also affect your premium even more at that point. This also increases if the named drivers are younger or new drivers.

Being that named drivers is a constant occurrence, you can eliminate costs by choosing a company that allows you to add temporary named drivers. Sometimes this is helpful for family vacations or someone needing to use your car for a set amount of time. This covers appropriately as well as not being a consistent cost. It would be a onetime fee.

Always remember you are responsible for your own vehicle. This means, if you allow someone one drive you car while not on the policy as a named driver, you are putting yourself at great risk. If an accident came about, you would ultimately be responsible and have to pay damages, get sued and more.

Taking steps to legally minimize costs associated with adding drivers on instead of letting them illegally drive your car is seem through joint policies. In other words, if a newer or younger driver is looking to get car insurance, they can opt to go onto their parent?s insurance policy. This is a common way parents lower premiums. It is also becoming largely recognized by insurance companies as well.

Alternatively, you could have the parents be listed as named drivers on the newer driver?s policy. Although it is not as commonly used, it is still legal and being practiced.

The last piece of advice is to shop around. Do not settle for an insurance policy that does not deliver what you want. Instead, look around for one that fits your needs; there are many to choose from.