Justin

Justin…..thanks Glad I was able to assist you.

I was contacted by an insurance carrier in Owensboro and they told me that they compared their car insurance rates to our insurance carrier and they said they offer better car insurance rates. They said they were looking at our insurance policy and said we could get a better deal with them. How is it possible that they have access to our auto insurance information?

Desiree

Owensboro, KY

Normally a competing insurance company is not permitted to have access to your current insurance policy. For marketing, typically an insurer will look at your current registered cars and try to rate it with that. Competing insurance carriers/agents can access general information about you like your age, where you live, tax status, etc., however they should not have access to your actual car insurance policy without your permission. They are in violation of insurance privacy regulations if they do.

Most likely the insurance carrier that called you was using a marketing strategy to get your business. As for comparing their car insurance rates with your insurance carriers rates overall, that is possible since some insurers do publish sample insurance rate quotes. For instance, you live in Owensboro Kentucky, here the Kentucky Department of Insurance (DOI) provides a consumer guide that lists insurance carriers authorized to sell auto/homeowners/renters insurance in KY and those insurers have provided rate comparisons for certain situations.

If you believe that the insurance company that contacted you truly did have a copy of your car insurance policy then you can have the KY DOI, the insurance regulator for the state, investigate the issue and you can file a formal complaint with this state agency.

I would like to know what the penalties would be for driving a car that is not registered to me, or charge me with driving without car insurance in Louisville, Kentucky and failure to show proof of insurance? The vehicle was not mine. Can someone explain the Kentucky auto insurance requirements related to this issue?

Paul

Louisville, Kentucky

The penalties for driving a car without auto insurance in Louisville, Kentucky can be rather harsh. For the first violation you are cited to go to court and can be fined between $500 up to $1000 or a jail time for not more than ninety days or both.

Your Kentucky motor vehicle registration and license plates can be suspended for a year or until proof of automobile insurance is provided as well for the registered car owner of an uninsured car. License suspension for up to one year is also a possible penalty. The penalties for each subsequent offense of not having proper proof of car insurance, increase.

While you are not the owner of the vehicle in which you were operating, The Kentucky laws still hold you liable as a driver to make sure the vehicle you are driving is insured and be sure that there is proof of that insurance to show to police officer upon request.

If you want to know more about the specifics on the laws of Kentucky then you can contact legal attorney. An attorney may be able to advise you if there is any way to have your tickets transferred to the vehicle owner if you had asked about car insurance and were assured the automobile was insured and therefore were unaware that you were driving without auto insurance.

I would like to know if the state of Kentucky has free windshield replacement coverage on my auto insurance? And if so, what do I do to get it?

Sandra

The answer is Yes. You can get your windshield replacement meaning no deductible is paid, in Kentucky however you must have Kentucky comprehensive coverage on your car. If you only have liability coverage on your car you will have to pay to get your windshield replaced.

So if you have Kentucky based comprehensive insurance, the Kentucky laws state that your insurance carrier will waive the deductible for windshield repair or replacement, which means no out-of-pocket expense for you.

If your windshield has been broken or cracked so that it needs replaced or repaired then you should make a claim through the comprehensive portion of your car insurance policy.

A: The Kentucky Auto Insurance Program is a program for people who have trouble finding a company which will sell them insurance, in many cases SR22 insurance. People who can’t find insurance can join the assigned risk pool by filling out an application, and the AIP will then give their application to a participating company. All car insurance companies who are license to sell insurance policies by the state of Kentucky are required to participate in the Auto Insurance Program.

You can get any kind of SR22 coverage through the AIP, but the prices will be higher, so you should only submit an application there if you cannot get insured otherwise. In order to qualify to join the AIP pool, you have to have been rejected by an insurance company within two months of your application, and be able to provide proof that you have been rejected, so you have no choice but to do some shopping around first.

Since you are getting SR22 insurance, remember that there are some time constraints. If you apply to join the AIP pool, it takes about 15 days for you to actually get insured.