Don't get caught out!

 If you have a teenage son or daughter, helping them onto the motoring ladder is often a more realistic goal than helping them onto the property ladder; this can be fraught with dangers.

Putting your off spring onto your policy as a named driver  can save them a fortune, and with the likes of Direct line offering the chance to build up their own no claims discount ,(if the stay accident free), can be a great stepping stone to them having their own insurance.

Nothing scary so far? You problems could start if your named driver uses the car more than for incidental use, or you have insured a second car in your name for them to drive, to save money the latter being the most common..

The premium is calculated on the declared parent being the main user of the car, once your child gets to over say 30% use, I strongly advise you talk to the insurer and tell them, if they are not happy they will adjust the premium accordingly.

Don’t be naive enough to imagine that it will never come home to roost.

One careless comment to a claims handler whilst stressed out after a mishap could be life changing, I once had no option (due to call recording) but to dismiss a claim because a mother, being chatty told me the car was not really hers but her daughters insured in her name because the insurance was cheaper, it cost the poor woman £7,000 which we would have paid out for the car.

There are some insurers who have fraud investigators checking cars parked in university car parks against the data bases, posing the question why would a 40 year old housewife be spending a 6 week term in student digs in Nottingham?

The insurance industry term for not declaring the true main user is (fronting) and fronting a policy is taken very seriously, it is a criminal offence under the insurance act and can lead you to court.

At best when caught you will be offered the option of paying a hefty premium increase to stay insured, at worst you could get caught as a result of an accident your claim may be dismissed you are left with a bill for thousands of pounds then to round it off you are charged under the insurance act and end up in court, you may also find getting insurance difficult next time your ringing round for quotes.