I was driving from a party one night and must have dozed off. The next thing I knew, I had run over a dog. Fortunately, there was no roadkill because the dog survived the operations and is now recuperating in a hospital. However, the medical bills I have yet to pay the animal hospital in Atlanta, Georgia are skyrocketing by the day. Can my car insurance policy help me in any way? I have a comprehensive coverage.

Jillian

Atlanta, GA

Hi Jillian. What a very noble thing to do to get out of your car, check the animal you ran into, and bring it to a hospital. When other motorists would have just left the poor thing for dead or assumed it was already roadkill, you took time to care. I would like to help you find solutions to your problem. There is already this thing called a pet injury coverage. It’s like a supplementary car insurance policy for those people who have pets and like to carry them around always. So, in cases of an accident, the insurance pays for the hospitalization of your pet. Some auto insurance companies will pay up to $500, I think. Now, since the dog you hit was not your pet, Property damage liability type of insurance will cover those pets that are not yours but are victims of a collision that involves the planholder. Pets are classified as property, in insurance lingo.

Ask the assistance of your insurance provider just to be sure. Check also if they have that kind of insurance in Atlanta, Georgia, because here in North Carolina we still don’t have that. You’ll soon overcome these obstacles. May God bless your kind soul.

My daughter lives in Atlanta Georgia and I live in the state of Mississippi. I purchased a vehicle for her as a gift and I would like to get her car insurance. My car insurance carrier does not offer it so I was just wondering how do I get car insurance for my daughter.

Patrick

Atlanta GA

If the car that you bought is titled and registered under your daughters name, then she will be able to get car insurance for that vehicle.

Now if the vehicle is titled under your daughter’s name or both in your name and your daughter’s name, then you may be able to find car insurance carriers in Georgia that will insure the car for your daughter. You may not be able to find car insurance carrier in the state Mississippi that will insure the vehicle that is garaged in Atlanta Georgia.

Since the vehicle will be garaged in Atlanta Georgia, the car needs to be registered there regardless of whose name is on the title.

It would be easier to insure the vehicle in Atlanta Georgia if you will put it under her name and you could assist her for the payment once the car insurance policy is set up.

You may be able to start buying car insurance policy or getting car insurance quotes in Atlanta Georgia online now.

What if I don’t want to list a household member on my car insurance policy in Georgia?

Ben

Marietta, GA

You should always include all household members on your application in your car insurance.

With each insurers it is different. Some insurance companies sells insurance policies for different insurance carriers. Some auto insurance application will ask you the appropriate questions to meet the insurer’s guidelines and the state rules/laws.

Insurance companies need to know about all household members because states laws for personal liability sometimes include all household members. So, the insurance company is representing you and covering you so they need to be aware of the entire risk they are protecting.

I have 2 vehicles with full coverage and a deductible on collision coverage. My wife backed into mine damaging both of vehicles. Will I have to pay 2 deductibles? How will this affect my car insurance rate premiums in Georgia?

Carl

Northeast Cobb, GA

Thank you for your question. I’m assuming that you and your wife are insured by the same insurance provider.

If so, some insurance providers waive one of the deductibles if both policyholders are insured by them. I have seen some situations where insurance companies charge both deductibles too. You need to report this loss to your insurance providers if you have not already. You could also ask them about your situation with the insurance claims adjuster. It is up to the verbiage in your auto insurance policy as to if they can charge it or not. Some insurance policies define an incident as a single occurrence while other insurance policies define it as a per auto occurrence.

Each insurance carrier has its own method of evaluating policyholders, so the insurance points on your driving history may or may not have a direct impact on the auto insurance rates you pay for car insurance. The amount of insurance claims and the costs of those insurance claims are also factored into your auto insurance rate in in Northeast Cobb, Georgia.

What will happen to me if I just stopped paying on my auto insurance policy? Will I go to jail? I live in the state of West Dougherty Georgia.

Paul

West Dougherty, GA

If you stopped paying on your auto insurance policy it would be cancelled due to non-payment and cause problems for you. One problem would be that this cancellation will show up on your credit record as non-payment and not only be a black mark on your credit rating but also make it difficult to find car insurance in the future. Many insurance providers will not want to insure an individual that has previously not paid on their auto insurance policy.

If you fail to pay the fee and get insurance, it will result in the revocation and/or suspension of the car’s registration. Driving while the vehicle registration is suspended is a misdemeanor. If found driving without proof of insurance in West Dougherty Georgia you will be also be subject to vehicle impoundment and fines.

What is the meaning of an auto lapsed policy? For instance, if the policy expired on July 1st and a new policy was bought on July 7th of same year, would this be considered a lapse in my policy in Georgia?

Jim

Atlanta, GA

As you are likely aware GA insurance companies must electronically report insurance information, including if your insurance that has been canceled or if there is a lapse.

A lapse is defined by the Georgia Department of Revenue (DOR) as ten or more days where the records show that your car was not covered by a motor vehicle insurance policy. Therefore if you let your auto insurance policy expired on July 1st and buy a new policy on July 7th it would appear that you are within the 10 day gap period that Georgia allows.

When the DOR sees that a car insurance has lapse for 10 days or more a Notice of Lapse Mandatory Liability Insurance Coverage will be mailed to the car owner. You will be required to make a payment of a $25 lapse fee and require you to show proof of valid car insurance coverage within thirty days.