Many parents may fear the time when their child receives a driver’s license and starts to drive the family car. The real fear is if the child causes a serious car accident.
The important question is: Can the parents be held legally responsible for that car accident? In a word, yes.
In Washington, there is a law known as the Family Car Doctrine. This doctrine states that the parents can be held legally liable for the child’s negligence in causing a car accident if the car being driven by the child was owned or maintained by the parents, and the parents provided the vehicle for the general use, convenience and pleasure of the family.
Under the Family Car Doctrine, the parents can be sued individually if their child causes a car accident and injures someone. That means the parents could be financially ruined if their child causes serious injuries and/or property loss.
Parents need to be careful when letting their children drive their car. Some steps that parents can take to protect themselves from the loss or damages caused by their children’s use of the vehicle:
- Think about registering the car in your child’s name, and require that your child actually purchase the vehicle.
- Require your child to maintain the vehicle by purchasing gas, insurance, and paying for routine maintenance.
- Take out more insurance on the vehicle that will be used by your child.
- Think about purchasing a high value umbrella policy which should provide additional coverage if your child causes a serious accident.
- Maintain strict rules for your child about the use of the family car (no passengers until a certain age, no infractions, no alcohol use, curfew hours, etc.).
Now, even if you utilize all of these precautions it still may not prevent you from being sued over a car accident caused by your child. But they will help to minimize and/or eliminate your financial responsibility in a subsequent lawsuit.
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