My teenage daughter just got her student license here in South Dakota, and did okay in her driving classes at school. Now, she wants to drive our car! Do I need to get separate car insurance for her?

Kate

Sioux Falls, SD

Hi, Kate, they grow up so fast don’t they? My suggestion to you would be to get on the phone with your car insurance agent in South Dakota and ask him about the specifics of your policy. For most car insurance providers, your daughter should automatically be covered under your car insurance policy. Since you have insured the vehicle, anyone who drives that vehicle should automatically be covered.

However, each car insurance company differs in their rules and specifications. Some will require you to have your daughter listed down under your policy as well to ensure her coverage. You need not get a separate policy for her since she doesn’t have her own car yet and she only has a learner’s permit and not a full fledged driver’s license.

Did you know that teenage accidents occur more than accidents involving adults? Not that I’m trying to scare you, but this may be a good time to review your car insurance policy and determine whether you have enough coverage. Take into account the costs you may have to pay for out of your own pocket should an accident happen. Most states only require liability insurance coverage, so if this is all you got, maybe you’d like to add some comprehensive insurance or collision damage insurance, as well.

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

Can you tell me the difference between the liability and physical damage?

Karen

Sioux Falls, SD

Liability coverage covers the damages your vehicle does to others, damage for which you are legally responsible and if you do not have liability insurance you would need to pay out of your pocket for damages you cause.

Physical damage coverage consist of comprehensive and collision coverage. I will explain each one of them.

Collision coverage covers damage to your car when your car crashes, or is hit by, another car, or other object. This type of physical damage coverage pays to repair your automobile, less the deductible you choose at the onset of your car insurance policy.

Comprehensive coverage covers your car, and sometimes other automobiles you may be operating, for losses resulting from incidents other than collision. Comprehensive coverage typically covers your car if its stolen, damaged by flood, fire or animals. This comprehensive coverage comes with a deductible as well.

Tags: auto insurance, collision insurance coverage, comprehensive insurance coverage

I am only 16, got my license just last month, and already received a speeding ticket for doing 55 in a 45 zone. How much are my insurance rates going to increase because of this citation and how long will this remain on my record? I currently have the good student discount, and I got the reduced insurance rate for attending driving class from my insurance provider in South Dakota.

Jared

Sioux Falls, SD

Each carrier in South Dakota handles insurance points differently. The car insurance provider uses a insurance point system under which assigns their individual values to each type of moving convictions and accident claim. Chances are the insurance provider will not assign a higher insurance rate for that minor traffic infraction. But, this infraction may force your insurance provider to remove any good driver discount that applies to your insurance policy. The length of time that this infraction will affect your insurance rates depends upon your insurance provider. Some carriers verify the last 3 years of your motor vehicle report. Some use the last 5 years, and some carriers even use the last 7 years.

I would like to know if a motorist with a restricted minors permit required to have their own car insurance or are they covered under their parents insurance policy until they receive their unrestricted operators permit? While having an instructional permit they are covered by the parents insurance policy so I would to know if this is the same once they get their restricted minors permit.

Allan

Sioux Falls, SD

For car insurance, the South Dakota law state by the SD Division of Insurance states that any individual who licenses and/or operates a motor vehicle must show proof of financial responsibility (FR). Financial Responsibility is typically shown through acquiring a car insurance policy having at least the state’s minimum requirements.

Your parent’s insurance provider needs to be notified of your licensing status. The insurance company will then tell your parents if you will need to be added to the insurance policy as a motorist or if you are covered as the insurance policy currently stands.

You can normally be added to their South Dakota car insurance policy and do not need to have your own separate insurance policy. If you get your own car, then at that point you would need to find out if it could be added to your parent’s policy or if you would need to get your own policy

A: Your South Dakota teen SR22 rates are that way because teenagers are more likely to get into bad car accidents, they get into them more often, and when they do, they’re more likely to injure or kill someone or themselves. Teenagers are the boogeymen of the road, which is why some of us change lanes everytime we see the grease of new acne reflecting in our rearview mirrors.

Since you’re in this high risk group, your South Dakota teen SR22 company charges you more. If you don’t want to be pushed into the same category of your less responsible peers, you have to step up and prove yourself. Here are couple of ways you can do this and, in turn, save on your policy.

• Make good grades in school, whether you’re in college or still in H.S. Most car insurance companies award good students with discounts.
• Educate yourself more. If you bypassed your general driver’s education course, go back and take it, and if you didn’t, take cedit for it. You can also overdo it for the good by taking a defensive driving course as well, all for discounts.