Divorced? What You Must Know About Car Insurance
You’re getting divorced. There’s not too much more drama that could be going on in your life right now – except car insurance. Yes, car insurance. It’s one more thing you have to worry about when you get divorced. Separating from your spouse means that you need to rearrange your vehicle titles, and get separate policies. You can’t just walk off in a different direction and call it finished.
Don’t Remove Your Ex Just Yet
Before you call the insurer, you need your ex-spouse to sign a removal request if you will be keeping the policy. If she’s keeping the policy, then you will have to sign the request. The insurer needs to verify your spouse’s desire to get a separate policy to cover her vehicle.
Without the request, the person keeping the policy will pay premiums for both of your vehicles. While you might not mind that if your spouse keeps the policy – you sure will mind if you’re the one paying the bill. This is where things can get a bit tricky. You see, if your spouse wants to stick you with the bill, it’s relatively easy for her to do so.
All she has to do is refuse to cooperate with you. When the bill comes due, you will be left to pay it – and she gets free insurance.
Do You Have Separate Vehicle Titles?
Often, married couples share ownership of vehicles. If the car is in both of your names, you should get this taken care of as soon as possible. Most insurers require that the person insuring the vehicle be on the title. But if you both own it, it could make it difficult to get insurance. Your spouse may try to block you from getting insurance if the divorce has gotten bitter.
Likewise, if your spouse holds title to both vehicles, you need to do some serious negotiating to get your name on at least one of them.
Get A New Policy Before Canceling the Old One
This is a big one, and it’s something that most people don’t think about until it’s too late. You don’t want to just rush out and cancel your policy. Why? Because all states require all vehicles driven on the public roads to have insurance. In a mad dash to get away from your spouse, you might be tempted to cancel the policy that’s in both of your names, and just go out and get your own separate policy.
It can be especially frustrating if your spouse isn’t signing the removal request or your insurance agent isn’t processing paperwork as fast as you’d like. If you do cancel your policy before you get a new one, you run the risk of getting a ticket, having your car towed, or possibly going to jail and having your vehicle impounded.
As “cool” as it might be to inflict this kind of thing on your spouse, it’s also illegal to remove her from the policy without her consent – so removing her could backfire on you. Play by the rules, and you’ll be driving off in separate directions in no time.
Gillian Kearney is an insurance consultant. Her articles appear on car insurance blogs where she enjoys sharing her insights. Visit the Monkey site for more information.
Category: Car Insurance
