For the remainder of the year we are going to do a different kind of blog and answer some “what if” questions that we hear or that occur all too often. If you have a question or concern please feel free to share it with us and allow us to help answer it.
“What If” Scenario #1
My 17-year old daughter lends her car to a boy she likes. He borrows the car; however, he doesn’t return it and won’t call her back. What now?
#1 As a parent you need to stay calm and help your child recover their car. We suggest you “play nice” and attempt to contact the teen and/or his parents. If the car was given to someone to borrow, it won’t be considered stolen, so you cannot file a Police report for a stolen car. The Police will allow you to file a different type of report (this does vary by state). It’s not a top priority, however, like a stolen vehicle report.
#2 Try to locate the car yourself. If found, you can tow or drive it away. Remember it is your car so you can take possession back. Now be careful, this advice was the most common one given by attorneys, but as we know every situation can vary greatly so calling law enforcement for advice or backup is highly recommended.
What if the person gets into an accident? Won’t I be responsible? Maybe I should just cancel my insurance coverage.
Here’s how insurance works. An accident follows the driver and the insurance follows the vehicle. You do not want to remove the insurance because if the car does damage to another car or injures someone you can be held responsible. Allow the limits of your insurance policy to help protect you.
If you would like more information on this or any other topic, we encourage you to Contact us.