It’s that time of the year when the kids head back to college. This year your child wants to take their vehicle back with them. “What could go wrong?” they ask, as you casually turn on “Animal House” and show them the scene where D-Day turns Flounder’s car from a vehicle to the “Death Mobile.”
Be aware of a couple things when your child takes the car to school. First off, no matter who is driving (as long as they have permission), your policy will respond for coverage, and that means that there is a chance your premium could increase due to losses.
When notifying your carrier of the new garaging location (school), the underwriters may want to know who your child is living with, and they may want to get those individuals’ driving records, since they will have access to the vehicle. Depending on their records, this could become a problem.
A new premium for the vehicle could come with a new garaging location. The rates are partially based upon where the vehicle is garaged, so the premium could increase. Will they be driving more? Are they living on or off campus? Is the vehicle garaged or parked on the street? All of these could affect the rate.
So, if your child is heading back to school with the car, call your independent insurance agent: your agent will be able to make sure that they are covered properly and you have one less thing to worry about. Oh yeah, and tell them, under no circumstance, should they loan the car to someone named Bluto.
Matt McDonough is PIA Northeast's writer, editor and content curator. Matt joined PIA Northeast in September 2023. Before that, he had been an editor for the online entertainment magazine Collider from 2021-23 as a copy editor for its lists section. Matt entered the world of journalism at his alma mater, SUNY New Paltz, writing and reporting for the college's student run newspaper, The New Paltz Oracle. He graduated from SUNY New Paltz with a Bachelor of Arts in English and a minor in Creative Writing in 2020.
