Hello again from Gary.
I wrote on Nov. 29 about teaching your Russian wife how to drive and promised to write some about insurance. That post was placed in the “help her adjust” category as will be this one. However, it has occurred to me that I might better create a new category called “help you adjust”. I’ll hold off on that for now but you’ll understand my thinking about it when you learn about your new automobile insurance premiums to provide coverage for your wife to drive.
O.K., first things first. Be sure to call your insurance agent to add your wife to your auto policy before she does any driving. That may seem like superfluous advice, but it’s an easy thing to overlook.
When you call your agent, be sitting down and prepared for a shock. Because your bride will have no U.S. driving record, she will be rated as a “youthful driver” for insurance underwriting purposes. It doesn’t matter how old she is or what driving experience she may have in her home country. Without at least 3 years on her U.S. driving record, the insurance companies will basically rate her as a young and inexperienced driver.
Here’s how that translates into cost - - I was paying roughly $600 per year for my auto insurance. By adding Alla, who is 50+ years old, to the policy, the annual premium went to over $2400. Ouch!! When I asked for an explanation, I was told about the 3 year driving record underwriting rule. This is the rate I pay through my carrier. Your rate will be different depending on your carrier, options you choose, your age, driving record, and type of vehicle. Just expect your rate to be significantly more by adding your foreign wife to the policy.
Naturally, when I got this rate quote, I went into shopping mode. I checked quite a few other companies and none could beat what I was already quoted. All were higher, some by as much as $500 more. You can get free online quotes from many companies to compare prices.
There are other insurance things to write about, but I’ll save it for later and try to come up with something more lighthearted for my next post.
Until next time, all the best to you.
Gary.
