State laws differ but we can give you general information regarding your many questions. Auto insurance typically follows a vehicle first and driver second. This means that the owner of the vehicle, your friend that is a disabled veteran, needs to have insurance on the vehicle and it would be primary if you were in an accident and then your insurance, as the driver, would be used as secondary or excess if his limits were not high enough to take care of the damages.

The owner of the car though should check with his insurance to make sure that you would be covered under their current policy to drive them / shuttle him around as they want. Most insurance policies will cover friends and others that drive a car occasionally but some do have exclusions so it is best for the owner to explain the situation to their agent and make certain their policy will cover you as a driver in this situation.

There are many types of insurance policies; a basic liability policy (bodily injury and property damage) that is required in many states would cover any injuries or property damage sustained to a third party if you were at fault in an accident. This coverage would not cover the vehicle being driven if you were at fault in an accident. Collision would be needed for this and again the owner would need to make sure both their liability and collision coverages would extend to you as a driver of their vehicle.

If the car is not registered or insured then it should not be driven. State laws differ in that some states will ticket the vehicle, thus the owner, for no registration or insurance, while other states will ticket the driver. In some states it is up to the discretion of the law enforcement officer making the stop. Either way it is illegal to drive a vehicle if it does not have the state required insurance on it or registration.

Finally, what insurance will transfer or extend to the driver of a vehicle when it is borrowed will depend upon the owner's policy, the guidelines of the insurance company and perhaps state insurance laws. It may be that only liability will extend to you, again the owner of the vehicle will need to check with their insurance company to find out specifics in regards to this current situation.

If you or your friend are in need of auto insurance, you can get an affordable auto insurance quote here with us.