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I am certain that you can specifically exclude any named driver on your auto policy.

If it were me I would talk to an attorney before I did that. If she sneaked the car out and crashed it you would still be liable (my opinion) with no insurance coverage. The few hundred $$$ you saved in premiums would start to look mighty good.

My kids are getting to that age, so I have a question: Did she learn from a family member or did she learn to drive from a professional? Have you considered a Bondurant or other driving schhol?

"If it were me I would...."

You make an outstanding point. Carefull consideration is definitely warranted.

"If it were me I would talk to an attorney before I did that. If she sneaked the car out and crashed it you would still be liable..."

I lent my brother a car for a month in a January a few years back. It was very stupid of me [as everybody who knew him repeatedly told me] because he is not exactly responsible, but he was relatively clean and as always, he was broke.

After a couple of months rolled by, I asked for the car. By the time July came, I DEMANDED said vehicle. Finally, he said that he wouldn’t give it back until he was good and ready, because he felt he ‘needed’ it more than I [I had a company-provided delivery wagon]. Upon advice of friends and relatives, I went to his jurisdiction and filed a complaint for Unauthorized Use of a vehicle. Beforehand, from the commissioner’s office, I even called him [I had his number but not his exact location - otherwise I would have just ‘stole’ it back] and told him what I would do if he didn’t bring it back. No dice.

OK, fine. Of course, there was no expectation that the police were going to set up a dragnet to get my ride back, but if he got pulled over I would get a call. As soon as I signed the complaint, my insurance would not cover the car, so I didn’t need to keep paying the premiums. This of course led to the DMV condemning the license plates. When VA demanded them, I sent a letter explaining the situation.

Well in Feb. the following year, I got a letter from an attorney representing the owner of a car that was found smashed by my abandoned Chevy. I was able to cite a case number for the Unauthorized Use, which exempted me from having to pay for some other poor slob’s car on top of losing mine.

Bro ended up serving six months for that, because of his growing list of priors. My mother actually lent him her car a year or so afterward, with which he absconded to a bad part of Baltimore, wrecking it also. Fortunately she also swore out charges on him, seeing how doing so protected me. As of this writing, Bro is in jail for something, I honestly don’t know for what. He’s better off. Of course you don’t need to tell me that we were doing him no favors by bailing him out so many times before…

My advice: if someone takes off with your car, call the cops immediately. Even if you gave permission, if they don’t bring it back when you agreed to, they are STILL in violation of the law. You are liable for whatever they do until and unless you file charges. Don’t feel bad about sending a friend or relative behind bars. Feel bad about HAVING to. They didn’t value your relationship enough not to take what is yours and put you in legal and economic jeopardy, did they?