I am 32 and never drove in my life… I am disabled from cancer (in a wheelchair, but with the full use of my upper body) and used to live downtown in the city, where I had no need to drive since I had access to public transportation. A few years ago circumstances (having cancer again) forced me to moved out to the suburbs to live with my mom. I never got a license after moving because I hardly ever went out anyways and my mom and my siblings were willing to give me rides on the rare occasions I needed to be anywhere.
Fast forward to the present… My mom passed away earlier this year, one of my siblings moved out of the area, and my one remaining sibling in the area has a work schedule that isn't conducive to giving me rides anymore… So I am out of options most of the time and actually need a get a license now… But I am coming at this from a position of nearly complete ignorance.
My state (Ohio) requires you to have car insurance when obtaining a license… My plan has basically been to get a learner's permit and then ask my sister who still lives in the area if she can temporarily add me to her car insurance and I pay her whatever that costs… And then we use her vehicle for me to get the required behind the wheel hours in before the driving exam… Then I take the test, get the license, and she removes me from her insurance… And after obtaining the license, only then do I work on getting my own car and obtaining my insurance to that end. Is this the way to go in terms of saving money (I am poor) or should I get my own insurance straight away? Is there anything I am missing here? Like I said, I am basically flying blind.
Also time is kind of essence and I only have a few months to do everything because my mom passed with no will had a lot of debt, so the probate process is going to liquidate her estate, including the house I live in (and her car, which is why I need to get a new one), to pay for it… I am on SSDI and don't get enough money to rent anything, so I will be homeless when this happens and I would at least like to have a car to live in by then. I mention this because I don't know how long any of this car insurance stuff takes to process and such. So if there are multiple ways to proceed and one method is faster, even if more expensive, that will probably be the way I have to go.
Thanks
Obtaining a license for the first time (while disabled, if that matters) in my 30s. Can anyone offer advice on how to proceed with regard to car insurance? [Ohio]
byu/I_Push_Buttonz inInsurance
Posted by I_Push_Buttonz
1 Comment
I think you are mistaken – you don’t need insurance in order to get a license. What you do need when you are learning to drive with a learner’s permit is access to a car that is insured. Your sister can teach you how to drive using her car, and you can even take your driver’s test in that car. You will need to show proof of insurance ON THE CAR when taking the test (and if you get pulled over while learning/practicing), but it’s not required that you are personally named on the policy. Insurance follows the car, not the driver (generally), and using the car to learn to driver over a short period of time is just standard permissive use. If you plan to take months and months to learn and will be driving the car frequently, then you might need to be added, but that won’t be possible until you have at least a learner’s permit, and (I’m not sure about Ohio specifics) may not be possible until you have an actual license.
That will change when you get a car – you will need insurance when you register the car, and you will need an address to provide the insurance company where the car is kept. Good luck, and hope the process is smooth and easy for you.