What Is A Named Driver On A Policy

An insurance policy comes with many things; many which have stipulations. Your insurance policy requires you to make sure you list out your drivers by name on the policy itself before they are allowed to drive your car. If they are not listed on the policy as a named driver, they will not be covered. This often happens with households that have more than one person of driving age as well as couples.

Just as anything, named drivers on the policy have their good points and they have the bad points. Having named drivers ensures that your car will only be driven by the listed individuals; if not, they do not have your consent to drive. Having multiple drivers on a policy also allows for a flexible situation. It works very well for families.

The biggest drawback that multiple named drivers on a policy have is the extra cost. After the first driver, the premium goes up. This is due to the fact that the more drivers you have; the more chance there will be to have an accident. This is especially true for many new drivers on one policy. The fact that they are new drivers alone increases the risk for the insurance company. Throw in age factor and you could have a heavy car insurance premium.

If there is a point in time where someone will be driving your car for a lengthened period of time, you may want to consider adding them on as a temporary named driver. It is known that some insurance policies do not have this feature, so make sure yours does before you decide to sign on the line. This usually comes in great handy for family trips, someone?s car breaking down and seasonal visitors.

Always remember you are responsible for your own vehicle. This means, if you allow someone one drive you car while not on the policy as a named driver, you are putting yourself at great risk. If an accident came about, you would ultimately be responsible and have to pay damages, get sued and more.

There are other ways to save on car insurance cost in a legal way. You can do one of two things when you have a young driver on a policy. First, instead of the new, young driver getting their own policy, they can go on their parent?s policy. Now, although this has worked well in the past, many insurance companies are very aware of this practice and are trying to head it off. Some insurance companies will actually void your insurance; be sure to check with your local agent.

Another way is to have the new driver?s policy in their name but put their parents as named drivers as well. The whole point of either option is to limit risk that is associated with a new driver. As we know, risk is associated with young and new drivers.

In all, it is very important that you take the time to shop around for insurance and carefully consider who you are going to be listing as a named driver. This is one area that deserves great attention because the consequences of not insuring properly can be disastrous.

Graham McKenzie is the content syndication coordinator for Carinsurancesa.co.za. South Arica?s leading car and vechile portal, which provides cover for all car and vechile types.

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Filed under: Finance

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