Q: My 21 year old stepson is a driver on my auto policy. Does this open me up to liability risks if he is negligent?
I've just added him to my auto policy with Allstate. He's listed as an occasional driver on my car. He bought a car that he's having trouble getting registered in MD due to issues with the title. The previous owner let him keep the VA plates. The car isn't reported stolen, but the deal seems shady. I'm sure that the previous owner dropped insurance on that car. He refuses to stop driving that car and it's not looking like he's going to resolve the title/registration issue anytime soon. I'm concerned that the fact that I put him on my insurance policy could make me liable should he run into trouble - like, he gets into an accident in that car and hurts someone and/or Allstate refuses to pay due to the "illegitimate" status of the car.
A: yes, you can be held liable for anything your son does. the insurance policy travels with the person not the car. so if your son is involved in an accident while driving someone else's car, a claim could be made on your car insurance and/or the owner of the car's insurance policy.
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