Can My Insurance Go Up Because Someone Else Speeds in My Car?

On occasion, you may let your friends or family drive your car. If that person ends up pulled over for speeding, you are not likely to feel the consequences in the form of higher insurance rates. However, if your friend gets into an accident while using your car, you may not be as lucky.

Insurance rates increase for a variety of reasons, a common one being tickets for speeding. Although state laws vary, when a driver receives a moving violation, such as a speeding ticket, the infraction typically follows the driver, not the car. This means the speeding ticket will only show up on the offender's driving record, not the record of the vehicle owner if the two people are different. Therefore, if someone received a speeding ticket while driving your car, it's unlikely your insurance rates will be affected since you didn't commit the infraction.

Unlike speeding tickets, if someone driving your car gets into an accident, it is possible your insurance rates may increase. This is because your insurance policy is considered the primary insurance since your vehicle was the one involved in the accident. As a result, your insurance carrier will be responsible for paying for any damages caused by the accident, particularly if the person driving your car was at fault. If your insurance limits are not enough to cover all costs, the person driving your car will likely have to make up the difference with proceeds provided by his insurance carrier or out of his own pocket.