How to Check Vehicle Insurance | AutoInsurance.org
When it comes to your own vehicle, you need to have a good handle on your auto insurance situation. In addition to knowing which company carries your policy, you know how to look up a policy number, get a general idea of your deductible and basic coverage, and if the policy is still in force.
Unfortunately, this same level of knowledge does not apply to other cars. Unless you have a crystal ball set up to magically determine another vehicle’s car insurance status, you’ll have to do some detective work to find out if a car other than your own is insured.
when you need to look up an insurance policy number
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There are a number of situations where you’ll need to know if another car is insured. the most obvious is when you have been involved in an accident. This is especially true if you are in a hit and run where the other driver flees the scene but you can get a license plate number. or if you discover damage to your car and a helpful witness gives you information to identify the offending car.
There are many additional scenarios where you’ll need to know another vehicle’s auto insurance coverage. here are some examples:
- if you’re borrowing a friend’s car and don’t have your own auto insurance policy.
- if you own your own business and your employees drive their own cars as part of their jobs.
- People going through a divorce will often want to make sure their future ex-spouse keeps coverage active on a registered vehicle for both of them.
- If you work in a school and parents help transport students on field trips, you definitely want to know the car insurance status of these helpful parent volunteers.
- name of other driver
- contact information
- insurance company
- policy number
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No matter why you want to find out if another car is insured, keep in mind that auto insurance is required to operate a vehicle on the road in almost every state. If you drive a vehicle without insurance coverage, you will be subject to fines.
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As you can see, driving without insurance could lead to some pretty hefty fines among other consequences that make driving without insurance a huge risk.
how to verify vehicle insurance information
If you’ve been in an accident, asking the other driver about their auto insurance should be your first step when preparing auto insurance claims. exchanging information about your policies will be helpful.
make sure you get the following information:
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If the other driver is understandably nervous, remind them how to find out the vehicle’s insurance policy number by checking the glove compartment for the vehicle documents usually kept there.
In cases where this isn’t possible, you may be wondering if you can find out if a car is insured. luckily, you can.
if you know the license plate number of the vehicle, this is a good place to start. And if you can look up the insurance policy by vin or the car owner’s driver’s license number, that can also be helpful.
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The police should also be able to help you determine if another car is insured, especially if you’ve been in a collision with that vehicle. the license plate number and incident report should be all you need to get started.
another approach is to go through your local department of motor vehicles (dmv). but keep in mind that the dmv may not be able to release all the information it needs. At a minimum, you will need to provide your personal information and a valid reason to start your inquiry.
another proof of ownership
As you research and determine if a car has insurance, questions may arise about who actually owns the vehicle. To help determine this, it’s good to know about other ways to prove car ownership.
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These include the Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin that the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles notes comes with a new vehicle to verify that an automobile company manufactured the car.
You can also get a release letter from a lienholder showing you paid for a vehicle and now own it.
In addition, a bill of sale and registration certificate will show who purchased and registered the car. By filling out a few papers at the dmv and sending a certified letter to the seller, you should be able to prove ownership.
how to find out if a car is insured: the bottom line
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As you can see, there are several situations where knowing if a car is insured is crucial. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to remove the information yourself, either by asking the driver or finding out through some solid detective work if a car is insured.
By knowing this information before you get behind the wheel of a steering wheel you don’t own, you can save yourself a great deal of stress and fines.