This Washington driver learned that your kids can be added to car insurance policies even if they can’t drive
Car insurance policies are required to legally operate a vehicle on the road. Sadly, rates have increased tremendously over the last few years. This means drivers are looking for ways to save on this mandatory aspect of driving. However, one woman recently saw that her car insurance rates had increased by about $2,000. She was surprised to learn why.
Your car insurance policies could include more drivers than you agreed to
Drivers have accepted that car insurance policies are more expensive than ever. However, people still don’t expect drastic changes in their rates. According to WHIO TV, Jennifer Berg of Washington was shocked when she learned that her Progressive insurance policy had increased by about $2,000.
However, she soon learned why this happened. The lady was unaware that car insurance policies can add your children to your policies without asking. This has been an industry practice for some companies for a while. However, she didn’t expect this to happen with her two sons. One of her sons doesn’t even have a learner’s permit, and her other son doesn’t live at the family home.
The lady told the outlet, “One is 21 years old and doesn’t live here. And the other one is 17, does not have a permit, doesn’t want to take driver’s ed, doesn’t want to get a driver’s license until he doesn’t have to take driver’s ed.”
A representative from the Insurance Commissioner’s office confirmed that this was accurate. Apparently, insurance companies can add drivers of legal age regardless of whether they can drive or not. The lady is also frustrated about how companies can add other drivers to car insurance policies.
She says, “In the chat, they said that they run reports through the United States Postal Service and the Department of Motor Vehicles. So, I guess they’re running reports now and then just adding people willy-nilly without even telling you.”
Additionally, Progressive notified the lady about the additional drivers, but the notice was included with the bill, which gave her no time to request changes. She has also said they refused to remove her sons. This is a reminder to read the contract when getting new car insurance policies.
