Car insurance in the U.S.

Car accident - Whose insurance pays? - Who insurance is responsible
@Bev1986 (1425)
United States
February 23, 2007 10:42am CST
This question is for U.S. residents who have car insurance.... If you are driving someone else's car for them, and you have an accident, whose insurance is responsible for taking care of the damage? My mother has asked my daughter to start driving her around town occasionally. My mom can't drive at night, so she wants my daughter to come to her house and take her places in my mother's car. My daughter is insured under our policy for our cars, but if she should have an accident in my mother's car, would my mother's insurance handle the claim, or would we have to put it under our insurance? My husband said that she should just use our car, cause she's insured under our policy, but my mom wants her to drive her car because she doesn't want us to be short a car when she needs to go some place (which is a very good point!) Anyone know the answer to this?
2 people like this
7 responses
@TerryZ (22076)
• United States
23 Feb 07
Yes your moms insurance would cover her if god forbid she had an accident. I dont know why your husband would say that thou. I would ask your mom about her insurance first.
@Bev1986 (1425)
• United States
23 Feb 07
He was saying that it's the person that is actually insured, not the car. So if you drive someone else's car, you're still insured under your insurance... But I didn't know if that was true or not...
1 person likes this
@Bev1986 (1425)
• United States
23 Feb 07
Sorry, I meant to write that I thought that it was the person that was insured.... He says it's the car and if my daughter has an accident, he doesn't want my mom's car insurance to go up.
1 person likes this
@villageanne (8553)
• United States
23 Feb 07
I really dont know. this has never happened to us. I think the vehicle insurance pays for it though. We always make sure that anyone can drive our car when we update our insurance. It is the law in WV that you have insurance on vehicles. Every driver would not have to have insurance so I think it would be safe to say the insurance on the vehicle would pay. Just call your insurance and ask. They will tell you.
1 person likes this
@Bev1986 (1425)
• United States
23 Feb 07
Yeah, I'm in PA and every vehicle has to have insurance as well....
@sedel1027 (17846)
• Cupertino, California
23 Feb 07
It is the car that is insured. However, if your daughter gets into an accident your mothers insurance won't go up. I know because my now husband totaled out my pick up truck when we were dating. I was fully insurance on the truck, he was insured on his own car. My insurance did not go up. His did after his insurance company caught wind of the accident.
1 person likes this
@pookie92 (1714)
• United States
23 Feb 07
You should check your policy, but I believe that your insurance policy would cover your daughter no matter what car she is driving.
@Lakota12 (42600)
• United States
27 Feb 07
your mom can tell her insurance com to add your daughter as a driver of her car. I have my daughters name on mine because she drives it too dont cost me any more to add a driver
1 person likes this
• United States
26 Aug 07
Well, as long as your mother gives permission your daughter is covered. However, it may fall back on your mother's policy or depending on state rules when it goes through claims, may fall back on your policy. Insurance is a sneaky industry.
@AmbiePam (84639)
• United States
30 Apr 07
Well, it seems to vary with each insurance company. My parents used to have insurance through a car insurance agency that used to not insure anyone under 25 if they got into a wreck in my parent's car - unless of course it was my sister or me. Now though,with a different agency, it doesn't matter the age of the driver, they are insured no matter what. It's a good thing they are, because my dad will loan his car to any of his friends who need it. Sometimes even their teenage kids.