Auto Insurance Endorsements:
A Mystery of the Universe
Revealed
Endorsements Explained
Endorsements – sometimes
called “riders” – are
optional provisions you can
add to your auto insurance
policy to expand your
coverage. These additions or
changes to your policy are
made by the insurance
company and can affect the
cost of your premiums
depending on what changes
you’re making. Some
companies offer online,
do-it-yourself policy
changes, but most people
just pick up the phone and
let their agent do all the
work.
Some reasons you might want
to add an endorsement to
your policy are:
The thing you fear the most
has come upon you. Your
mother-in-law is moving in.
Realizing your only other
option is to take her
yourself to the bingo hall,
church, or to the beauty
shop once week, you opt for
putting her on your policy.
Or – mom-in-law has moved
out! Eureka! You can take
her off your policy.
In celebration of mom-in-law
moving, you’ve decided to
buy a new car. You need to
put it on your existing
policy and take off your old
one.
Since mom-in-law’s moved
out, your teenager wants his
old room back. He’s also
campaigning for a car.
You’re tired of driving him
to the mall, to his
friends’, to the tattoo
parlor, so you crater and
get him one. You need to add
him and his car to your
policy.
After going for a ride with
him, you’ve decided that
right after you make
arrangements to get your
Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder treated, you need
to add additional coverages,
like comprehensive and
collision.
On second thought, you need
to change the comprehensive
and collision to Personal
Injury Protection and add to
your basic liability. The
car’s so old it’s not worth
the premiums for
comprehensive and collision,
but if your kid drives like
he did when you took your
spin around the block with
him, you need to make sure
medical coverage is in place
as well as make sure you’re
protected in case he
clobbers someone else.
That same teen has finally
grown up and moved out!
After you’re done crying
because your baby’s flown
the nest, you can now cry
with relief because the bass
from his stereo no longer
rattles the walls of the
entire house. And you need
to take him off your auto
policy.
Since all your time is no
longer taken up with that
kid or your mother-in-law,
you’ve decided to open your
own business. You’re
traveling a lot now and
getting tired of paying Acme
Rentals for rental insurance
every time you leave the
airport in a rental car. You
want to make this a coverage
in your own policy.
All these and more can be
handled through adding
endorsements or riders to
your existing auto insurance
policy and have nothing to
do with promoting Uncle Bobo
as the next president of
your local Sailcat
Prevention Society, signing
over a check to him, or
letting him ride in your
car. Unless you want to add
a special endorsement on
your insurance policy to
protect against those
unwanted sailcats from
attaching themselves to your
tires or the undercarriage
of your car. But you’ll have
to talk to your agent about
that one. Unfortunately,
even your insurance agent
can’t prevent you from
signing a check over to
Uncle Bobo or letting him
ride in your car. Consult
the designated intelligent
person in your life
regarding that.
Although most insurers are
reputable, honest, and
pretty darn smart, they’re
not usually mind readers. So
you will need to let him/her
know if mom-in-law moves in
or out, your teen is
driving, or you’ve finally
sprung for a newer car.
Chances are, your premiums
will change, but change is
the law of life, and you
must go with the flow and be
at peace, Grasshopper.
Or not.
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