PolishPete

Ok, so I work for a large insurance company, and know the answer, or what I believe to be the correct answer, what is taught to us, but after talking with a LEO today, he's telling me otherwise, so I'm looking for more opinion.

Does a vehicle insurance card need to have the drivers name on it? For example, lets say there's a husband and wife and 2 cars, but only 1 of their names is on the insurance cards, for both cars. Can they get a ticket if the one whose name is not on the card is driving the car?

My response is no, for several reasons (the officers response is yes with no reason other than their name is not on there).

My reasons:
-I insure vehicles, not people. The insured VIN is all that matters. Sure I rate for people who might drive the car, but that figures out the $ part of it, not whose insured.

- Anyone can drive any car at any time with the owners consent, and they are covered under the vehicles primary insurance. For example, if I drive my roomates car, I am covered under his policy if I have his consent to drive. If I get pulled over, I have to show the vehicle has insurance on it, not a card with my name on it. Do they expect everyone to go get cards made up with peoples names who might drive the car? Absolutely not.

- I have NEVER had my name on my insurance cards, in 4 cars that I've owned. I've lived in my parents household, and their names were on the cards, not mine...and I've been pulled over a bunch (inlcuding once about a month ago, and still don't have MY name on the card). Never heard a word about it from the LEO.

- When we sell insurance, the primary household members' names are on the policies/cards (mostly used for mailing purposes). Their kids' names for example, are listed in the household as rated drivers, but no where on the cards.

- As I said, we are taught that insurance follows vehicles, not people. (if you drive a car that has insurance on it and total it, its up to that persons insurance to pay for it, not yours. Your insurance doesn't follow you to another car, it will only be secondary in the case the car doesn't have any primary insurance on it.)

- Theoretically, I do not have a car, so I would not have insurance for any reason, but I do have a license, so I can still drive any car I want, and be covered...again the owners wouldn't be getting insurance cards every time someone drove their car...it would be illegal for anyone but you to drive your own car then, and as specified, that's not the case.

So I'm correct in this matter. Or at least I belive so, and have been taught so.

But my question is...does the majority here believe I'm correct as well.

I'm in IL btw.

Danil ACE

No, your name doesn't have to be on the card. The three times I've been pulled over it hasn't been an issue.

Bdog

My insurance has always told me otherwise. I had to give my insurance company my wife's drivers number and have her on my policy for her to be covered. I would need to get a rider for anyone who is driving my car to also be on the policy.

I have a perfect driving record and lets say I loan my car to a friend who doesn't have or has insurance on a 92 Civic. I let him drive my car at my own risk, now he slams into the back of a Ferrari sitting at a light, my insurance isn't going to cover the cars involved in the accident, since I wasn't in the accident. I pay my low monthly payment based on a variety of things, and my friends bad driving record's not one of them.

FastAcura

In Illinois, if you live in the same household and are opearating the vehicle, you have to be listed under the insurance, but not sure if your name has to be on the card.

I know of a few instances when a parent was trying to save money and they took their kid off the insurance who was still operating the car. The insurance company listed the name of the kid on the card as "NOT COVERED."

FastAcura

If your friend isn't living in the same household, then he should be insured by your insurance company as long as your car has insurance. If he slams into the back of a Ferrari, I'm pretty certain your rates would go up. If you give your friend your car, then you assume liability.

I assume you and your wife live together, which is why you had to list her as well.

Bdog

^

I just threw that situation out there as Pete states "- Theoretically, I do not have a car, so I would not have insurance for any reason, but I do have a license, so I can still drive any car I want, and be covered...again the owners wouldn't be getting insurance cards every time someone drove their car...it would be illegal for anyone but you to drive your own car then, and as specified, that's not the case."

I have my wife on my policy, but her family drives my car when they need it and if anything would ever happen, we'll figure it out.

In VA, from what I've been told, you the person has to have insurance. A car sitting there empty won't cause damages or kill another person in an accident. There is more to insurance that fixing a car and the person is responsible for those actions that cause hospital stays.

PolishPete

Yup, your wife lives with you, that's why she needs to be rated on the policy. This is to collect the appropriate premium because people in a household are likely to drive any of the cars at any time.

Some companies will skimp, for example if you let a friend drive your car, and you have Farmers, they will only cover not listed drivers for the state legal minimum, which in IL is 20/40/15.

Your company will still cover others...who told you otherwise...the agent? Or is it like SafeCo or something? Because those little guys aren't real companies...haha, well they are, but they sell "insurance cards", not insurance. You'll be OK with the law if you're in an accident, but you won't be OK financially. So hopefully it's not those guys.

FastAcura

If someone crashed into your parked car, or did any sort of damage, it would still be covered by your insurance even though you're not operating it.

If not, make sure you're IN your car the next time a tornado comes along or the damages won't be covered by your insurance.

FastAcura

And there are work arounds with this as well. When my civic was hit about 5 years ago in a parking lot, the lady just drove off. Luckily someone got her license plate and when the cops called her it turned out that the car wasn't hers and she wasn't listed on her father's insurance even though they lived together. Their insurance still paid me for the damages.

Eoanou

Just to let you know the Volkswagen dealer wouldn't let my brother drive the vehicle off the lot, because the insurance card had my name on it. The dealer demanded that the car have my brother's name on it or else they would deny the sale.

I had to call AIGdirect and special request an I.D. card with my brother's name printed on it. It was tedious and it took four calls and 8 faxes to get it right. To be honest it's ridiculous, the car can be insured under anyones name and they'll cover the car no matter who drove it.

Eoanou

The only reason some insurance companies require you to name all the drivers is so that they can increase your premiums.

swoleCL

Kind of off topic, but is it true they can tell whether or not you have insurance by running your license plate?

<-- has insurance (loves his CLs) just curious.

Bearcat94

Not a LEO, so I don't know how they veiw it. But I do know my insurance policy.

For me it works both ways:

- My car is covered, no matter who is driving, assuming they have my consent.
- I (and my wife and my daughter) am covered in any car I drive.

I do have to list my daughter as a "rated" driver and if I did not, she would be expected to not drive either car on any kind of regular basis. The "car is always covered" bit is intended for the uncommon circumstance of someone else driving the car, not when it is a common/expected occurance.

swoleCL

Since we're on the topic, I have USAA for insurance, if I drive to a club, get drunk and a sober friend drives my car back, we get in a fender bender, its his fault, am I covered or no?

Am I paying for the cars coverage or my personal coverage, if personal, am I covered on any vehicle I drive? Is there a standard? Reason in question, if Iam covered on any vehicle, what if I get my hands on an exotic, and crash it?

Will Y.

In the first scenario, your friend's insurance would have primary responsibility for the fender bender, while your own vehicle insurance would be secondary.

If your policy is like most, it will cover any vehicle that you have permission to drive, whether it is a friend's car, a rental car POS or an exotic car.

swoleCL

TY, so if I rent a car over the holidays, I dont need their outragously priced insurance?

fuzzy02CLS

iTrader: (2)

For the police, it doesn't matter.

For insurance it does for some companies. Some will only cover the driver on the policy. If you lend the car to a friend & they wreck it your insurance may not cover it cause they were not an authorized driver.
This will vary with the underwriting co. So call yours & see what they say.

YeuEmMaiMai

only thing needed on the cards in MN are

1 policy date
2. Vin, model, year
3. Agent
4. policy #
5. Name insured (if applicable)
6. Ins co

imj0257

iTrader: (1)

The main way rental car companies make money is by suckering people into getting insurance with their rental. The fact is, most people are already covered on their rental car with their regular insurance. And also I heard something about if you have a credit card and pay for the rental with it, then the credit card company will insure your vehicle if anything happens. So really, no you don't need insurance on a rental.

fuzzy02CLS

iTrader: (2)

Well in most cases that is true, the problem lies in how fast the rental car wants their $.
Almost all of them want it up front as soon as the damage happens. With your insurance or CC they have to wait. Read rental agreements, they all have a set time frame to recover damages.

NSXNEXT

iTrader: (2)

The issue isn't about his name being on the card, it's about his name being on the POLICY.

My wife and I have two vehicles and my name is on both insurance cars. She's the primary for one vehicle and I'm the primary for the other.

PolishPete

This depends. The coverages you have on your car will cover you on a "temporary non-owned car" such as a rental car, exactly how they cover your car. So, if you have liability only, you have liability only on the rental, and should by their coverage, so that you have collision, or full coverage on the rental.