My son received a DWI and had his license suspended for 1 year. I cancelled his insurance the day he was convicted. He is on a policy with myself and my wife. 45 days after removing him from my policy, I received notice from my insurance company that they were cancelling my collision and comprehensive for all of my cars because my son had a DWI even though I thought I removed him from my policy. I have 5 cars, a boat and a homeowners policy with this company and I have been a customer for 32 years. My wife and I have 0 points or accidents. They said they "may" reinstate my comp and collision if I pay liability for my son during his suspension. This seems like extortion. Is this standard policy? I live in North Carolina. I just want to drop him from my policy completely because he will be responsible for his insurance going forward. He is 21, lives at home and is in college. Do I accept this, pay almost $2000 for his liability for the next year when he is not driving or do I move my policies to another company?
Forced to Pay Insurance for Unlicensed Driver
- Thread starter turfer
- Start date
- 11,995
Different companies can have different policies about these types of situations, but odds are you can shop everything and find at least as good of a deal without needing the insurance on your son.
You should be able to exclude your son from your policy, not just 'drop' him.
If your son lives in your house, insurance companies tend to want to rate or exclude. You need to exclude. This requires you signing a form acknowledging that he is not covered on your policy.
If this doesn't work, another company will be happy to get you taken care of.
Dan
If your son lives in your house, insurance companies tend to want to rate or exclude. You need to exclude. This requires you signing a form acknowledging that he is not covered on your policy.
If this doesn't work, another company will be happy to get you taken care of.
Dan
- 409
Some companies are getting really picky about having a driver in the household that has had that kind of driving history. The problem is, too many people are excluding drivers to save the premium and then letting them drive anyway. In the event one of those drivers causes a major accident, the insurance company won't have to pay the claim in the end, but they'll still have to go to court to defend themselves and prove they aren't on the hook, and that costs money.
You may have to shop around.
You may have to shop around.
Shop around. That you have been with a company 32 years doesn't mean a thing to the company. If you have been with the same company that long chances are you are over paying. As a consumer I think rates should be shopped every 3 years. There are dozens of good companies out there.
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- 4,132
What the problem is the insurance company does not trust that the child will not be driving one of the 5 cars/trucks you own. Might be a different story with just 2, but 5 the chances that he will drive sometimes in the next year are pretty high, insured or not.
While you have paid premiums for 32 years, if they continue as your insurer and he drives your cars/trucks and injures someone, they still will be sued (deepest pockets) even if he is excluded. That is why they want premium for him. Too many cars/trucks in the household, too easy for him to drive something.
You should shop it, if anything just to see if you're getting screwed over or not. Chances are, you're not. Make the boy pay the difference in premium. His screw up should cost him some money and time, even as a college student. Less likely to make the same mistake if it costs him some money...
Good luck
While you have paid premiums for 32 years, if they continue as your insurer and he drives your cars/trucks and injures someone, they still will be sued (deepest pockets) even if he is excluded. That is why they want premium for him. Too many cars/trucks in the household, too easy for him to drive something.
You should shop it, if anything just to see if you're getting screwed over or not. Chances are, you're not. Make the boy pay the difference in premium. His screw up should cost him some money and time, even as a college student. Less likely to make the same mistake if it costs him some money...
Good luck
- Thread starter
- #7
- 11,995
You can always call the big shops, but you should have local agents in your area that can shop it with multiple carriers. What state are you in? We may even have some agents here that can help.
Talk to 1 or 2 local independent agents. What part of North Carolina are you located in?
- Thread starter
- #10
I finally gave them an ultimatum and told them I was moving my business by the end of day on Monday. My agent called and got a waiver of some type so my collision and comprehensive was reinstated and my son was completely dropped from my policy. They were overly concerned about my 5 autos and the abundance of opportunities for him to drive illegally. He is a "scooter boy" now and has 10 more months of no driving before he gets the keys back. He is on his own for insurance at that time! He made a huge mistake and will paying for it for quite some time. The license checkpoint that got him may have saved someone's life, possibly his, and saved us from a lifetime of legal and emotional issues. We had a conversation about drinking and driving the day of his arrest. They just don't listen!!
