Reader’s Question:

My 16-year-old son lives in Cincinnati Ohio with an Ohio license and insurance. His dad lives in WV. If he wrecks while driving his dads car in WV who pays the bill?Does my son needs WV insurance or is he already covered on our policy?

Jamie,

Cincinnati, OH

You and your husband should discuss this matter to your insurance company. In an accident where the driver is using someone else’s car, the insurance of the owner’s vehicle would be primarily used. Any excess on that policy limits to be paid, the driver’s coverage in the insurance policy is secondary. Insurance companies typically follow vehicle first and driver second.

It seems your son spends a period of time with his father in West Virginia. In this case, his father will have to check with his insurance company if he needs to add his son in the policy as an occasional driver for his visitation period. Otherwise, his son might not be covered, depending on how the policy is stated and any exclusions that may be indicated , if a car accident occurred.

If his father’s insurance company does not require him to add his son on the policy, I still recommend that you check with your insurance company to ensure that your son is covered while driving in WV with his father’s car under your current Ohio policy.

Tags: auto insurance, Student car insurance, teen insurance, Young driver car insurance

Reader’s Question:

I have a parent who is 85 years old and recently tried to renew his license but was denied for failure of an eye exam. He is still paying full coverage car insurance in Toledo Ohio. What would happen if he or someone else has a accident in his car? He is the only one rated by insurance provider and has not told them of his non-renewal.

Neil

Toledo, OH

Your 85 year old parent should contact his insurance provider and inform them of the situation regarding the non-renewal of his driver’s license. Since he does not currently hold a valid license, it is possible that his insurance provider would have the right to deny a claim if he was in an accident. If someone else is driving his car they might be covered under his policy, but only her insurance provider will be able to tell you the specifics of his policy and give you an accurate answer to this question.

Your elderly parent should contact his insurance provider to find out what suggestions they have. If he will no longer be able to operate, he might consider selling his car to someone who can insure it and drive him around. Most DMVs have an alternative transportation database to assist people who can no longer drive so you may check in Toledo Ohio for more information regarding this.

Tags: auto insurance, automobile, senior car insurance

Reader’s Question:

I have a couple of tickets for speeding and one accident 3 years ago in Ohio. Im just wondering how long do tickets and accidents affect your insurance rate?

Michael

Toledo, OH

The Ohio’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles states that there is no section of the Ohio Revised Code (ORC) that says convictions will ever come off of an individual’s driving record.

Your OH car insurance rate can increase if you cause an accident or have a traffic violation. The insurer can increase (”surcharge”) your insurance premium if you are at fault in an accident or if you get a lot of traffic tickets. According to the Ohio Insurance Department of Insurance, you should not be surcharged for a minor traffic infraction or a single accident that was not your fault. In addition to that, insurance premiums cannot change until your next renewal date either.

Various companies have different rules. Most companies do not consider incidents that are more than 3 years old, but some car insurance carriers will look back as far as 5 years in Ohio.

If it has been over 3-5 years since your last ticket or moving violation conviction it does not necessarily mean that your insurance provider will automatically lower your insurance rate. According to the Ohio Insurance Department of Insurance, periodically you should ask your insurance company to review your premium to be certain that you are getting the best insurance rate possible.

Reader’s Question:

I live from another state but got a DUI in Toledo Ohio about four years ago. When will it go off my driving record? My insurance rate is too high till now.

Andrew

Toledo, Ohio (OH)

The DUI in Ohio is listed at least 6 years on your driver’s record since it is noted by the OH Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) that it is considered a first DUI violation if you are found driving with a prohibited alcohol concentration or drug of abuse with no prior OVIs within the last six years on the driving history. It is considered a second offense if you have at least 1 prior OMVI within the last six years on the driving record.

From the information from the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) there is no information of the Ohio Revised Code (ORC) that states regarding infractions being removed of a driver record. But, an administrative decision is in effect that permits for Driver Abstracts to only reflect the last 3 years motorist record activity.

So it looks like that a DUI conviction will stay on any OH driving record that the BMV started for you indefinitely but you can verify with the BMV to find out for sure about your situation with you being an out of state resident.