Flying Alone With Your Kids? Make Sure You Have Proof of Your Relationship
Is it true that you and your kids are completely grown up now? Are you totally free of the stress and drama of having a child? Do you even have a babysitter? Is anyone in your family or on your payroll watching your kids regularly?
If the answer is yes to any of those four questions, then it’s time to update your child-proofing plan.
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, children under the age of 5 spend at least one third of every day in automobiles — traveling from home to school, playdates, soccer games, soccer practice, day camps, and church. The children of the average American are exposed to about 1,000 children per day. That means that just about everyone (including you) is a potential danger to children at one time or another.
Of course, children don’t just get in the car alone, but are also more likely to get exposed to the perils of driving with an impaired driver. If the driver is under the influence of alcohol, he or she is far more likely to have a problem with the next driver (and the rest of the community).
To counter this, it’s essential to get child insurance on all the cars you have (or can afford). That means:
An approved policy
A policy that is rated to cover uninsured motorist coverage
A policy that is rated to cover rental cars
An auto insurance agent who is certified (at least 3) by the National Association of Insurance Commission and has at least 3 years’ experience dealing with young drivers and insurance policy for under age 25 (including 2 on those 3 years of experience be at least 21)
Most kids like to tell adults what they’re up to, so it makes sense to get a copy of the driver’s license for yourself and for your kids. If you have a separate auto insurance policy, have that signed and dated so that we know whom to contact if, for example, you are hit by a drunk driver — even if you have no witnesses. And for the sake of your kids, you should have proof that you are a “care giver” (which could be as mundane as babysitting) for all the kids.
If your children are still in elementary school, then you may be more comfortable having them drive themselves to school. In
