Do You Need To Add Visiting Drivers To Your Auto Policy?

Your distant cousins from England are coming to the states for a family reunion, and you can’t wait to see them. One of your plans features teaching them how to drive on the right side of the road. But before they get behind the wheel, will you need to update your auto insurance to include the visiting drivers?

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Must Have License to Drive‍

When your relatives cross the pond for a family visit, they will most likely have in hand their international driver’s permits. This driving permit grants them access to U.S. roadways despite not having an American driver’s license. Because they already have a driver’s license in their home country, your visitors will not be required to obtain an American license when they visit the states. However, before you toss them the keys, you’ll need to make sure that they’re covered under an insurance policy – your insurance policy. If your visitors get into an accident in your car and are not covered, you’ll be the one responsible for covering the monetary damages of the crash.‍

Adding Family/Friends to Your Policy‍

According to Alert Driving, a company that specializes in teaching adults how to be a safe driver, 90 percent of traffic accidents are the result of human error. The Association for Safe International Road Travel (ASIRT) asserts that across the globe, close to 1.3 million people lose their lives in auto accidents every year, which averages to 3,287 fatalities every day. Another 20-50 million people are left severely injured and disable after the crash. Traffic accidents cost $518 billion globally, with the U.S. paying for $230.6 billion of the bill.

If you’ve lent your car out to a visiting family member or friend without speaking to your agent about how far your auto insurance coverage extends, you yourself could be paying thousands of dollars out of pocket. Here’s what to do to make sure your visitors are covered under your policy before letting yourself off the hook as their private chauffeur.

1. Get your insurance agent on the phone. Ask your agent to add your visiting guests to your auto policy temporarily. Your insurance premium should not go up. If you are concerned your premium rate will increase, ask your company if there will be a price adjustment. It’s also always good practice to communicate with your insurance agent and to ask any questions you may have about your policy. If your agent says, “yes, there will be a temporary rate increase,” simply ask the visiting party to pay the difference.

2. Help your visitors get temporary insurance. Some foreign auto insurance carriers will offer temporary insurance to their clients while they are traveling in a foreign country, particularly in the U.S., and especially if guests are traveling for business.

3. Tell your visitors about liability insurance. The U.S. advises that foreign travelers who will be driving in the country get a liability and Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance plan. Both plans are relatively inexpensive and available as temporary insurance.

Part of being a responsible driver is having insurance, and it’s something we all have to have, no matter where we’re from. Compare auto insurance with CoverHound today!