How Should Two Divorced Parents Handle Their Teenagers’ Car Insurance
When a couple is going through a divorce, or is already divorced, there can be a number of issues related to child custody that may be confusing or present a problem. One issue that is sometimes forgotten until long after the final divorce decree is handed down is how to handle the car insurance policy for the teenage child of divorced parents. Each situation is different, and some parents are easily able to arrive at a solution while others may disagree over which one of them should pay for teen driver insurance. Here are some guidelines about insuring the teenage child of divorced parents.
If one parent has full time custody and the teenager visits the other parent only on occasional weekends or vacations, most insurance companies will recommend that the teenager be insured under the custodial parent's policy. If you are the custodial parent and plan to insure your teen under your plan, ask your current insurance agent for the car insurance quotes that will let you know just how much your monthly policy payment may increase. However, if you are sharing custody with the other parent, it can be more complicated, so you will need to make every effort to establish an open line of communication with your former spouse on this issue. Let your insurance agent know the situation at hand, and tell them exactly how much time your teenager spends with you, and how much time he or she spends with your former spouse. If you teenager is driving both your car and your ex spouse's car sometimes, let your insurance agent know approximately how often your teen drives each car.
Your insurance agent can help you decide which parent should add the teen to their policy. Several factors can be included in this decision, such as which parent has the primary physical custody, which parent has the better driving history, and which parent has a car that is less expensive to insure. For example, it is usually going to be drastically cheaper to add a teenager to the policy that insures an older family style sedan than it would be to add them to a policy insuring a late model sports car.
Generally speaking, the best parent to buy the teen car insurance policy will be the one who can insure the teen with the best quality policy for the least amount of money. It is very important that parents make every effort to remain civil and work together for the benefit of their teenager. Do not assume the other parent has already insured the teenager because they may be making the same assumption about you. By working together with your former spouse and your insurance agent, you will be able to get teen driver insurance easily and for a reasonable price.
