As children mature, the cost of their daily maintenance often increases substantially. Teenagers may want to obtain their driver’s licenses. Getting a vehicle is often a rite of passage into adulthood for high school students.
Unfortunately, liability insurance alone can cost thousands of dollars for teen drivers in New Jersey. Parents who share custody may need to work out an agreement regarding vehicle costs and insurance premiums.
Which parent is typically responsible for the cost of car insurance when a teenager gets their license?
Parents may share responsibility
Driving is a privilege, not necessarily a right. The courts may not order either parent to pay for car insurance or to purchase a vehicle for a teenager. Instead, parents choose to accept those costs to offer their young adults opportunities for increased independence.
Frequently, the parent who has more time with the children and whose address serves as the children’s primary address is the parent who provides a vehicle and pays for the insurance policy for a teen driver. However, sometimes a teen does not have their own vehicle but instead occasionally operates family vehicles.
In scenarios where both parents allow a teenager to drive their vehicles, they may both need to add a teen driver to their insurance policies. Disputes about when a teen can drive, who pays for their vehicle and how to handle insurance costs can all lead to co-parenting conflict.
Parents anticipating their teens securing their licenses may want to address vehicle costs and insurance in their parenting plans to prevent disputes in the future. Identifying common sources of conflict and addressing them in advance can limit co-parenting disputes that may complicate family dynamics and finances.