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Coverage for others to drive can be sought out, and I wish you good luck and low premiums. However, I have run into others where getting liability insurance for "others" to drive the vehicle, or having the car registered in another's name as an alternative, is really a ruse just to have the car registered with the Motor Vehicle Dept. while the person continues to drive without a license. So also have the insurers and the folks at the license bureau seen these situations. So, do not be surprised if some look at you askance.
Policies exclude coverage for liability or collision if the car is being operated by a driver without a valid license. If your company covered you, it was the way that policy was worded for the claim for the optional uninsured motorist coverage clause which survived the faux pas regarding a license. Claims for ordinary liability for damages an uninsured, read unlicensed, driver may cause to others or their vehicle or for collision damage to your own vehicle caused or contributed to by an unlicensed driver's actions almost always are excluded from coverage for any claims arising when the driver is not validly licensed. The claim you describe depended on the other driver being entirely responsible for the damage, and not you. Neither your liability coverage nor your collision coverage came into play and likely could not have been utilized at all. The other driver's policy, had there been one, would have had to pay for that driver's negligence whether you were legal or not on a simple neglence theory. Your policy included for additional, probably optional coverage for uninsured motorists damage to your vehicle and its occupants. It really was the battle of the uninsured.
The consequences can be serious. It is not a question of stupid. However, for those who continue to drive unlicensed and thereby uninsured, it is a question of personal responsibility, obedience to the law, and failure to satisfy the insurance contract resulting in a situation where an accident can cause great financial harm to the unlicensed driver as the result of a court judgment without insurance to foot the bill for damages nor to pay for the legal defense, to the owner of a vehicle you might drive in this status since they are financially responsible for the actions of any driver who has permission to use that vehicle, and to any other driver or pedestrian that might be harmed in an incident where there is an unlicenced driver at the wheel and no insurance on the vehicle to cover their losses and injuries. Indeed, driving without liability insurance is a misdemeanor traffic offense in some states. Yes, there are a few other states where liability insurance is not mandatory, but even in those the insurance contracts will likely still read the same.
My point is that you may find a certain level of suspicion, and they may not want to write a policy with very high limits.
posted by 66.24.3...
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