WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2016
You thought you would do a good deed and let your friend use your vehicle. Then you received a phone call. There’s been an accident. Your friend is okay, but the vehicle is totaled. What is going to happen now? While you may have to scramble to find a way to get to work, your auto insurance may be there to help you. Whether or not you have coverage depends on the type of car insurance you currently have in place. There are a few things to keep in mind.
A common misconception is that the policy of the person who was involved in the accident, in this case your friend, would cover the damages to your car. That is not necessarily what happens though. In most states, the policy you have on the vehicle is considered the primary insurance. That means that your insurance company will need to pay for the losses both to your vehicle and potentially to any other driver involved. In many cases, if there is any limitation on your policy, your friend's policy would then kick in to pay for some of the losses. Nevertheless, this depends on the type of coverage you have.
If you have only liability insurance on your vehicle, your losses are not covered under your policy, and they may be limited under the policy your friend has as well. In addition, if there is a deductible on either or both policies, those will need to be paid before any coverage will be provided for the accident.
It is also important to read the terms of your auto insurance policy. Some auto insurance companies have exclusions limiting these risks. In other cases, there is wording in your policy that protects other drivers within your household or relatives that you allow to drive the vehicle. In other situations, coverage in such a situation may be significantly limited.
What should you do now then? Take the time to check out your current auto insurance policy to find out what coverage is in place on it. If you do not have ample protection for friends and family, it may be time to upgrade your car insurance policy to be more inclusive.
Are you covered? Call Harrell Insurance Agency at (843) 766-5533 for more information on Charleston auto insurance.
No Comments
Post a Comment |
|
Required
|
|
Required (Not Displayed)
|
|
Required
|
All comments are moderated and stripped of HTML.
|
|
|
|
|
|
NOTICE: This blog and website are made available by the publisher for educational and informational purposes only.
It is not be used as a substitute for competent insurance, legal, or tax advice from a licensed professional
in your state. By using this blog site you understand that there is no broker client relationship between
you and the blog and website publisher.
|