Is Auto Insurance in Michigan Mandatory?
Reader’s Question:
I have a drivers license in Michigan but my question is, do I need to get car insurance as well?
Maria
Detroit MI
According to Michigan car insurance laws, you are required to have no-fault insurance certificate in your car or carry it with you when you operate a vehicle. Failure to provide proof of car insurance when asked by a police officer will result to suspension of your drivers license. Until proof of car insurance is shown, your drivers license will remain suspended. You may also be required to prove that your car is insured for not less than 6 months and pay the fine of $50.
When you borrow a car, it is best to make sure that the car that you are driving is insured and you are listed on the policy to abide the Michigan car insurance laws. So if you live in a household with automobiles hat you occasionally or frequently drive, you will need to be listed on that policy you the coverage will be extended to you. If you so not have a car but want to be covered when you operate other people’s vehicles, you can get non owners insurance policy instead.
A non owners insurance policy provide liability protection to drivers who are at fault in an accident but do not own a car. Non-owners policies can typically include Liability, Medical Payments, and Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverages.
Should I Add My Teenager To My Auto Insurance Policy in Michigan?
Reader’s Question:
My legal aged son has moved out of my house in Battle Creek, MI to live over at the apartment of his friend’s parents. The thing is, he hasn’t changed the address on his driver’s license and he’s currently driving their car. Another thing that’s been bothering me is he wants to buy a car and wants to insure it using my name. Any information regarding my situation would be greatly appreciated.
Mary
Battle Creek, MI
Insuring vehicles that belong to other people are allowed by some car insurance companies even if you have no “insurable interest” in it. However, I’ve never heard of any car insurance company that allows people to insure vehicles from more than one household. If a vehicle owner decides to move elsewhere with his car, like your son, moving out of Battle Creek MI, chances are, the car insurance company will not cover the vehicle’s insurance. As for your other inquiry, if your son is going to drive for his friend’s parents , they should list him as driver on their car insurance policy for them not to have the risk of getting denied car insurance services if ever he gets involved in a car accident.
Will Auto Insurance Policy in Michigan Cover Out of State Claim?
Reader’s Question:
In a couple of months, I am planning to move to PA. My present address is in Battle Creek, MI where my family lives and I intend to keep my car insurance here. My dad told me that my insurance policy won’t be honored once I moved to PA and if ever I get into an accident, he can be sued? Is this true?
Nicole
Battle Creek, MI
First thing you have to do is to speak with your car insurance agent regarding your plan to move to Pennsylvania. The car insurer can tell you if you would still remain on your dad’s policy but usually the answer is no. In cases where you move away from home, especially out of state, and since the car is no longer garaged at the household address listed on the policy, an insurance provider will likely no longer carry you and the vehicle on the current policy.
Normally, car insurance companies will follow the limits set by the state where you’re operating a vehicle in cases where you are only visiting or are driving through a state and not when you have moved there for good. If you fail to inform your insurance company regarding moving out of state, or properly changing your coverages over to PA insurance, this would likely be taken as misrepresentation by the Michigan insurer which is a form of auto insurance fraud and is a reason to deny your insurance claims.
If your car insurance did not accept the claim and/or if your car insurance limits were too low and exceeded, your father, both you as the driver and your father as the car owner could be held liable and sued. Your father may face a serious liability putting his assets at risk so make sure that your liability limits are sufficiently high enough.
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