Legal Question in Insurance Law in Pennsylvania

State Law

My niece who is 17 just took her driving test and passed and secure her license. She is not actually driving as yet. Is she automatically required to have auto insurance just because she got her license.

Her mother's auto is insured, but she has not given her permission to drive it.

Please advise as her mother's insurance company, i.e Progressive Insurance, told her that now that she actually has a license, she must also have insurance. They told her that if she does not add her daughter to her vehicle, they will cancel the mother's insurance?

I find this hard to believe.

If she chooses to allow her daughter to drive and then adds her, that is one thing. But right now she has not granted her permission to use her car.

Help!!

Thank you.


Asked on 3/23/04, 7:14 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Andrew Solomon Law Office of Andrew A. Solomon

Re: State Law

The insurance company is within their rights to have the daughter included in the insurance. I have seen cases where the parent refused to authorize their child's use of the car, but the insurance company was still held responsible. If every parent of a teenage driver told the insurance company that their child was not authorized to use the vehicle, the insurance companies would lose millions of dollars. Conversely, if this were allowed, every parent of a teenage driver would tell their insurance company that their child was not permitted to use the car to save money. More often then not, the teenager ends up using the car anyway. Simply stated, the insurance company can do this.

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Answered on 3/23/04, 7:41 pm


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