It’s never easy to let someone drive your car. They come to you and ask you nicely if they can borrow it and you think twice about letting them have your keys. You know they are safe drivers, they really need your car, and they promise to return it as soon as they are done with their errand. How can you say no? But accidents can happen at any time, to anybody, no matter how safe a driver they are. And so, it happens that your car is in an accident when someone else is driving it. What happens now? Let’s see.
How does insurance apply in these cases?
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Many people mistakenly believe that insurance applies to whoever is driving the car, but that is not the case. The truth is that insurance applies to the vehicle. This means that if whoever was driving the car is not listed in your insurance policy, it is your insurance that applies.
If you are lucky and the person driving your car gets into a minor incident and there are no injuries, the situation is easier to solve. However, there is also the possibility that you could be dealing with a serious accident with loss of property and life.
What happens in the different situations you might face?
An easy situation to solve is when your friend is not at fault for what happened and the other driver’s insurance will take care of all damages and costs.
If your friend is at fault for the collision and, luckily, there were no injuries, your insurance policy will take care of the property damages. If you also have collision coverage, this will cover the damages to your vehicle once you pay your deductible.
If your friend has no insurance at all, the situation starts becoming more complicated. This simply means that there is no other insurance policy to cover any additional costs once yours has been used up. And since your policy applied you can personally be held responsible for the rest of the costs, something that could have deep financial consequences for you. Please take a minute to ask your friends if they have insurance before letting them borrow your car.
What if someone steals your car and then has an accident while driving it?
In this case, you will not be held liable for the other driver’s injuries, should there be any. However, your collision coverage will serve to pay for any damages to your car. All this applies providing you truly do not know the person who was driving your car. Should it be a friend who took your car without your permission or knowledge you may be facing a problem convincing your insurance company you did not authorize the use of the vehicle. In this case, it may be wise for you to contact a car accident attorney.
What can you do to protect your insurance policy?
To begin with, make a firm promise to yourself not to let anyone drive your car, no matter what the situation. Also, take the time to understand your car insurance policy, what it covers, and what happens after an accident. And if you need the help of a car accident attorney, Fasig | Brooks is ready to help.
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