Reader’s Question:

I live in the Stockton California and have a CA drivers license, however I do not have auto insurance. Can I still drive my sister’s cars as long as their cars have insurance?

Cindy

Stockton, CA

According to the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) site, CA motorist and vehicle owners are required to carry minimum monetary limits of liability auto insurance. So this means that even if you do not own an automobile that as a motorist you need to carry car insurance while you have a driver’s license in CA.

Your sister can check with their insurance provider to see if you would be covered under their policy while driving their car. If you are going to operate the car on a regular basis you might need to be added as either a driver or occasional driver. Your insurance coverage typically follows a car and not always the driver. So, when you are driving their car, their insurance should cover you. It is essential to check with their insurance carrier because many policies have exclusions for these cases. For instance, you can have an exclusion for any motorist under the age of 25 on a policy.

Reader’s Question:

Do I need my own car insurance if I operate a company vehicle?

Jason

New York, NY

Any automobile that is on the road must be insured by it’s owner in accordance with the state laws. Your company is responsible for making sure that the company car you are driving is properly insured.

In the event of an accident, the insurance usually follows the car, so the car’s insurance is used as the primary insurance, and your insurance will follow to be used if the damages exceed the limits of the car’s insurance. So in most cases if you do not own a car, you are not required to have your own car insurance.

It is usually recommended that you carry a non-owners insurance policy to cover yourself when you operate other people’s cars. This will provide you additional insurance protection in case the car owner’s insurance has lapsed or if the limits on their policy are too low.

You may contact your company and/or it’s insurance carrier to find out the details of the insurance policy on the company car and how much coverage is provided for you when you operate it.