Whenever the head of a household has purchased an auto insurance policy, all the licensed drivers in that same household will be covered by the issuer of that same policy. That coverage includes the assistance that has been promised in the event of an accident. If the policy holder or any of those covered under that same policy stand at-fault for an accident, the insurance company will supply a lawyer that can defend them in a court of law.
How extensive is such coverage?
Are there any uses of an insured vehicle that the insurance company will not cover? No, the company’s coverage extends to any possible use of a vehicle that has been insured under a given policy. Of course, the insurance company does its best to monitor those uses. It raises its rate in those families where a teenage driver might be tempted to do something rather risky or foolish.
Sometimes, the insurer’s coverage extends to certain people who do not even live in the same home as the policy holder. That would be the case if that same policy holder had given such a person the right to drive his or her insured car, truck, van or SUV. Of course, if someone that has borrowed a certain vehicle were to have an accident, the insurance company would hold the policy holder responsible.
The policy holder’s right to exclude certain members of his or her household
A policy holder can speak with the insurance company about having a specific driver excluded from the company’s coverage. Such a step might be taken if the buyer of an auto insurance policy harbors doubts, regarding one driver’s ability to avoid any possible accidents, and that same driver shares a home with the policy holder.
Policy holders have different reasons for wanting to exclude a given driver. It could be that the same person has a record of convictions, especially DUI convictions. It might also be true that the person that will be excluded as a record of past accidents. Finally, maybe the driver that could well be excluded had to make special arrangements for transportation at one time, after a license had been suspended or revoked.
The policy holder cannot ask the insurance company to honor an oral request. Most insurers prefer to receive a signed agreement. Such an agreement should carry the signature of both the policy holder and the driver that will be excluded. Because the agreement has been signed, the insurance company trusts the actions to be taken by those that have signed it.
The same company will take appropriate action, if that trust were to be broken. For example, suppose that someone excluded from the policy holder’s coverage somehow gained permission to use a vehicle owned by that same policy holder. What could happen then? Then the insurance company could refuse coverage to all those that had signed the exclusion agreement. However, it is important to consult an injury lawyer in Huntsville before discussing the issue with the insurance company.