Going in for a driving test soon, what do they mean by "proof of insurance"?

Yes. the instructor will not let you behind the wheel of a vehicle to drive, unless you have an active auto insurance policy in force, at that time. it’s called liability. without the auto insurance, the instructor and your state, could be liable for any accident that you are involved and at-fault.

Proof of Insurance means you have an active auto insurance policy in effect.

You have two options: your parents can add you to their policy or you can have your own. Talk to your parents about it.

Its probably cheaper for you to be added to tiur parents policy than take obe out on your own. The proof is the letter that the insurance company sent you after you sent them money.

@Lightlyseared I thought of the price as well and edited it from my post. Some parents don’t want to see their rates go up from adding a new driver or cannot afford it. Some may want their child to take on the responsibility of learning the cost of being able driving.

Some policies are attached to the car rather than any particular person, so it is covered regardless of who is behind the wheel.

Check the details of the insurance plan to see if it’s the car or your parents that are insured.

I added my kids to my policy. they were still living at home at the time. It was much cheaper than having them do it themselves.

Both were responsible and did not get into trouble, by the way. Whew!

Jerv is correct. My mom (after 15+ years) of not driving took the test. She put a ad on craigslist and paid someone to let her take the test in their car. She didn’t have insurance. But the guy had it on the car. It wasn’t a problem.

Ah, so as long as the car itself is insured, I’m good? thanks

@LocoLuke Please…have your parents check with their insurance company. Laws vary by state and country.

@Pied_Pfeffer will do

@LocoLuke Thank you. Short-term, you aren’t going to want to go to take the test and find out that you cannot because you aren’t insured and have to wait. Long-term, you do not want to find yourself in an accident where you don’t have the support of an insurance company, particularly if someone involved needs medical attention and/or it goes to court. Trust me…you won’t regret it. And the more you learn about insurance, the better. It should be part of driver’s education training.

Imagine a world without insurance. It’s easy, if you try…

@Zaku Car insurance is not required in NH unless you have an SR-22 in your record.

The insurance is on the car, not the driver. I called a dozen insurance companies to try to get insurance for my grandson who dives the cars of his mother, his Uncle, his grandmother, and his cousin, and none of them would cover him. Only the car is covered, and each owner chooses the level of coverage they want.

@YARNLADY That makes sense. And it explains why my parents added me to their policy; I would only be driving their cars. Two friends had to have their own insurance policy because the cars were in their names, even though their parents paid for the car. That makes my 1st two answers null and void.

I would still urge you or your parents to call their insurance company. If they cannot answer whether your name needs to be on the policy at the time you take your test, you can always call the local DMV.

update: yes, my parent’s insurance is on the cars.
just out of curiosity, How difficult is it to get non-owner’s insurance (that’s probably not what it’s called but you get when I mean)?

I’m now pretty sure that I led you astray. @YARNLADY pointed out that car insurance is for the car, so whoever owns the car is responsible for maintaining the insurance. Your parents should contact their insurance agency to let them know that you will now be driving their car.

So, if you don’t own a car, there should be no reason for you to have car insurance. I do, however, encourage you to talk to your parents’ insurance agency to learn how it works, particularly if there is a chance that you might ever drive a friend’s car and are in an accident. It might not have been caused by you, so no issues with the law, but the friend’s insurance agency may have another opinion when it comes to reimbursement. This is not a case where ‘ignorance is no excuse’.

Since I’m only going to be driving the car for a day before I leave for college (on the east coast, my family lives on the west) there isn’t any real reason to have me added to their insurance policy for those cars. It should be no different than if they allow another relative to drive their cars since I won’t be a regular driver.

@LocoLuke Okay, that’s a different situation if you aren’t going to be driving the car on a regular basis. I just called my car insurance company and asked. The agent said that if you live at home, aren’t going to be driving your parents’ car more than a couple of times a month and have their permission when you do, that you don’t need to be added to their policy.

Disclaimer: that is for my insurance carrier…it may be different for the one that your parents use. I just don’t want you coming after me in case I am wrong. :)

Thanks for the help guys! Everythings good. I’m currently waiting for my turn to take the test.

Please give us an update once you take the test.

i passed :)

W00t!