It may seem counterintuitive to buy auto insurance if you don’t have a license, and therefore can’t drive, but there are some special reasons and situations where an unlicensed driver might benefit from having proof of insurance. In some cases, having auto insurance coverage can help protect your vehicle and others and even help save money on monthly premiums.
List yourself as an excluded driver
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If you don’t have a license but need to purchase a policy, you can list yourself as an excluded driver. This means that you will not receive any coverage from a company, and you will not be able to drive your vehicle. If you decide to drive as an excluded driver, your insurer will not pay claims for accidents or collisions, and you will have to be responsible for paying for all damages.
You can also choose to exclude other drivers from your policy. This may be a good option for policyholders who have high-risk drivers with a poor driving record (such as a DUI/DWI [driving while intoxicated] or other evidence of reckless driving on the policy). Anyone on your policy that insurers deem high risk can cause auto insurance rates to go up, so it’s best to exclude them.
Parked car insurance
Maybe you don’t have a license, but you still have a car and you want to protect it from damage, like accidents or vandalism. In this case, you may be interested in taking out parked car insurance. With this, your car will be covered if it gets damaged while it’s parked. Talk to an agent to see if your car may be covered by a collision, comprehensive, or uninsured motorist policy.
This is also an option for people who store their car, such as in a parking lot, during the holidays, or in the winter. During this period, drivers may want to consider canceling their auto insurance policy while not using the car. This can create short-term savings, but there are definite risks to owning a car without a policy.
Parked car insurance is also referred to as a garage policy, which only offers the benefits of comprehensive coverage, and the car must be protected from the elements. Collision and liability coverages are suspended, since it is expected that the vehicle will not be moved from the indicated direction.
How to get auto insurance with a suspended license
Can you get car insurance with a suspended license? Of course! There is a special type of auto insurance for those who have a suspended driver’s license and have had their driving privileges revoked. The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) may require you to enroll in SR-22 insurance if you have a DUI or DWI driving record, traffic violations, or other claims.
The DMV may ask or require suspended drivers to provide an SR-22 form, also known as a Certificate of Financial Responsibility. This verifies that the state-required insurance coverage for reinstatement of driving privileges has been purchased. Insurance providers will increase your premium cost, so shop wisely. Another option is to explore getting a restricted license instead.
Challenges of a suspended license
Having a driver’s license is not just another ID. It also means having the freedom to travel at your own time. Many people rely on their cars and their ability to drive to get to work and generate income, take family members to school or other places, run errands, and more. The suspension of your license can create some challenges in your daily life.
If you are the primary driver, there may be ways to support your lifestyle. The Massachusetts State Department provides hardship driver licenses to qualified applicants so that individuals can drive for work, school, or medical reasons, even if the licenses have been suspended. In many of these cases, this is necessary to support livelihoods and health.
For Massachusetts drivers, this is a way to get around license suspension for felonies or offenses like DUIs, operating under the influence of harmful substances, drug convictions, multiple traffic tickets, and license fraud. In cases like these, you may be able to legally drive while your license is suspended or revoked.
To qualify for a hardship license, applicants must show that it is absolutely necessary to drive. This means that you must have valid proof of an actual need to drive for work, school, or health and medical reasons. If you cannot prove it, the Massachusetts DMV will not approve your hardship license application requirement.
Being able to drive has great power and can be used as an incentive for people to follow certain rules. For example, the state department can suspend someone’s driver’s license if it finds that they have not met the state’s requirements. Social services may take away your driver’s license as an incentive to enforce child support payments.
The Department of Children’s Services can legally suspend a parent’s driver’s license without notice if they are not paying child support on time. Some parents may receive a notice the same day their driving privileges are revoked. In most cases, parents cannot dispute the suspension until all payments have been made.
Register a car without a license
Even without a driver’s license, you can buy and register a car in your name. In most cases, you also need to have an insurance policy to register your car, so it’s handy that this can also be done without a driver’s license. Owning a car without a valid driver’s license, and therefore not being able to drive it, can be useful for a variety of reasons.
In either case, licensed or unlicensed, anyone who chooses to own a car needs to register it. After registering a car, owners receive a set of plates and a registration card. This should not be confused with a license number. Some people will also receive a window registration sticker or license plate, depending on where they live.
Registering a car without a license can be helpful for people who have had their driving privileges revoked for medical reasons, but who have a caregiver who is fit to drive and take them to medical appointments. Some older parents may also choose to do this for their teens who are new drivers and less likely to have their own policies.
It is important to mention that for anyone who buys and registers a car, there is a minimum amount of auto insurance that they must also purchase. This is required by the state and the amount of coverage may vary depending on the laws of each state. All states require or require that cars be registered if they are driven on public roads, and this can be done at the DMV, which keeps a record of registered cars.
