Q: Is it possible to get insurance for a driver only and not the car?

A: Yes, actually it is possible to get a car insurance policy just for you as a driver, even if you don’t have a vehicle. It’s called “non-owner car insurance policy”.

A non-owner policy works a bit differently than a regular car insurance policy as there is only a driver listed and no vehicle. This allows the coverage to follow the driver for any vehicle he or she may drive. It is also different as it does not provide all of the coverages that are usually available on regular policy. The focus of coverage for a non-owner car insurance policy is bodily injury liability coverage and property damage liability coverage for if you cause damages to another person or their property.

The other coverages (comprehensive, collision, rental, towing, etc.) are not available on these policies as there is no vehicle attached to the policy to provide these coverages for. The damages that may be done to the vehicle you are driving, but do not own, are covered under the policy that the owner has on that vehicle. The same goes for if that vehicle needs a tow or if the owner now needs a rental car after you get into an accident with their vehicle.

Non-owner car insurance policies are great for if you are going without a vehicle for a little bit and still want to maintain a continuous car insurance history or if you are in need of an SR-22 and your current car insurance company does not provide them.

For more information about a non-owners car insurance policy contact your car insurance agent.

Q: There is damage to my car, but before I file a claim I want to know if it’s going to be covered. Every time I ask my car insurance company if it’s going to be covered I keep getting told that I have to file a claim first. Why won’t anyone tell me if this is covered or not? Don’t they know their own policies?

A: Insurance is very complicated. Have you ever read your insurance contract before? If you have, did you understand what you were reading?

It’s not that the people you are talking to at the car insurance company don’t know their own coverages, it’s that there is too much to know to be able to give you a correct answer. A car insurance policy is a legal contract that takes a specialist to be able to understand the details of what is and what is not covered. A claims adjuster is a specialist in your insurance contract and are the only ones that can accurately tell you what is covered; which requires a claim to be filed. If another person tells you that something is covered and it is not, the insurance company is on the hook to pay for a claim that was not in the car insurance contact you paid them for.

Also, when you call a car insurance company you are usually speaking to someone that helps people across the nation. When I worked in an insurance contact center I handled 11 different types of policies in 47 different states, that’s 517 different insurance contracts! Also, during the course of a month, I would handle 1,500 to 2,000 calls. There is no way that I could have accurately told you if the damages to your car were covered or not.

Claims adjusters specialize in specific states and specific coverages. They also only have so many claims in their caseload, which gives them the time to accurately review car insurance contracts to accurately tell you if those damages can be paid for by your car insurance policy.

Q: Last year I added a new 2016 vehicle to my car insurance policy and now my policy is renewing and my rate is going up on just that vehicle. I haven’t had any car accidents or claims and I have 2 other vehicles on my policy, why is the rate going up for just that car?

A: When your car insurance company added your new vehicle last year they most likely had to override the VIN number because the vehicle was so new it wasn’t in their system yet. This means that your new vehicle was rated on just it’s value and some of its features, both of which they would have had to manually enter. Now that the VIN is in their system they have all of the correct vehicle information to be able to place an accurate rate on the vehicle.

It also means that enough time has passed to collect some data on the vehicle’s road and claim history. Information like:

• The driving habits and violation frequency of people that usually drive that car.
• How often does a car like this get into a car accident.
• How much damage can this vehicle do to another vehicle.
• How much or how little damage does this vehicle sustain during an accident.
• How safe are the occupants inside the vehicle during an accident.
• How expensive is it to repair the damages to this vehicle.

This information also affects the rate of your 2016 vehicle and you can expect that as more information comes in over the next few years that your rate will keep being adjusted either up or down.

Q: I NEED TO KNOW WHY GEICO CANCELLED MY POLICY WITHOUT NOTIFYING ME. THEY TOLD ME IT WAS BECAUSE THE NEEDED A VALID DRIVERS LICENSE FROM THE DMV WHEN I CANT REMOVE MY SUSPENSION UNTIL I SHOW MY THEM MY SR-22 FROM MY INSURANCE PLACE. I’M STUCK IN THE MIDDLE UNABLE TO DO ANYTHING AND NOT TO MENTION I CANT DRIVE TO WORK EITHER.

A: Well first, car insurance companies won’t insure someone that has a suspended license. This is why you were cancelled without notice. If you would have told them you had a suspended license at the beginning they most likely would not have even offered you a car insurance policy in the first place, which means you probably lied on your application.

Second, it’s your own fault that your license was suspended and you shouldn’t have done whatever you did to get it suspended in the first place. A suspension is a big deal and it means you did something bad enough that they want you to stop driving for a while. Taking the bus to work for a bit may help you think twice about your actions once you do start driving again.

Third, contact an insurance agent. You are most likely only going to get insurance in the high-risk, involuntary market and you are going to need a car insurance agents help in getting your insurance in place at this point.

Q: I was in voles in a hit and run they lady kept going now my car is messed up . I’m hurting now should I go to a dr?

A: If you are injured, whether it is a hit-and-run or not, it is your call if you see a doctor. Even if you ask your insurance company this question, they are going to tell you the same thing. There is never any guarantee that your medical bills will be paid by your insurance company (or the other insurance company if it wasn’t a hit-and-run) and an insurance company will never initially commit to paying them.

The good news is that if you have uninsured motorist coverage, medical expenses are included in the coverage. Unfortunately, still with no guarantee of payment. You can always ask your car insurance agent for the details of medical expense payments under this coverage, but most likely they will refer you to file a claim so a claims adjuster can review your policy. If you ask the claims adjuster, you will be told that they will pay accident-related medical expenses and to seek medical attention if you need medical attention. However, until they review the bills from your doctor they won’t commit to paying them.

So, if you are injured enough you feel you need a doctor, go see a doctor. Don’t base your decision to seek medical care on whether or not the car insurance company is going to pay for it.