Will Insurance Protect You If Someone Else Crashes Your Car?
Photo: The News Wheel
If a close friend or family member has ever asked to borrow your car, you likely have weighed the risks and benefits of handing over your keys. If you’re particularly concerned about the potential for a car wreck, it’s a good idea to also consider the scenarios in which auto insurance does and does not protect you when someone else crashes your car.
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Permissive driver
Your auto insurance will cover the costs of an accident caused by someone else as long as you gave that person explicit permission to drive your vehicle. Your collision coverage accordingly will pay for damage done to your vehicle.
In addition, your liability coverage will pay for any damage inflicted upon another person or vehicle as a result of the permissive driver. Nevertheless, if the amount of damage to the person or vehicle goes beyond your limits, the permissive driver’s own liability insurance may have to cover some of the costs.
Someone on your policy
If the person borrowing your vehicle is included on your auto insurance policy, your insurance will cover the accident. This is because anyone on your policy receives the same coverage that you have when driving your vehicle.
Non-permissive driver
Anyone who didn’t receive your explicit permission to drive your vehicle is liable for damages in the event of a car crash. The only difficulty in this scenario is that you must be able to prove you didn’t give the person permission.
Someone excluded from your policy
If you purposely didn’t include someone on your auto insurance policy, whether they be an untrustworthy or inexperienced driver, your insurance won’t pay for damages. This is the case even if you gave the person permission to take your car out.
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There are a number of other, more uncommon situations where someone else crashes your car, so it’s important to speak with your insurance provider about when exactly you’re covered.
Amanda Drago lives in West Chester, Ohio with her wonderful family, which includes her adorable dog, Coco. Amanda recently graduated from Miami University with degrees in both marketing and creative writing. However, if she was ever forced to change career paths, she imagines that she would train dogs for movies. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, writing, and watching Netflix. She also has a special place in her heart for theatre and purchases tickets to as many shows as she can. See more articles by Amanda.