16 years ago, when I entered the family insurance business it was a different world. A wife, a home, a mortgage, and 3 kids later, I feel old saying that. It was a different world. We had a computer for word processing and we had type-writers. The internet was a silly word used by technology companies. Nothing for insurance agencies to concern ourselves with. Applications were taken by hand and computations were manipulated with the help of rate manuals. Endorsements were mailed in and suspended in our file cabinets. At considerable expense, insurance agents have had to keep up with companies’ advancing technologies. The expense has come in hardware form and in an even more challenging, learning curve form. Senior partners that had never uded a computer are now being required to enter endless amounts of ursername & passwords, uploads & downloads, input & output, real-time , e-mail and pdf.

Still, these technologies have been a good thing. Agencies are now able to handle greater volumes. Work flows continue with new & greater efficiencies.

Coming soon: Electronic, Stamped RMV Forms.

We recommend that parents, in order to best protect assets, consider registering and insuring a vehicle in their child’s name.  In Massachusetts parents are provided 100% insulation from lawsuits arising from bodily injury or property damage claims.

Mass. MGL Chapter 231, section 85A: “If a car is registered to the child and the child gets into an accident causing personal injury and/or property damage, there is no reponsibility on the parent. It does not make any difference who bought the car or who pays for the insurance, or how old the child is so long as we are talking about negligence.”

On this basis it might make sense for parents to consider insuring a vehicle in their child’s name.