You're in the military and you've just received your orders. You're headed overseas. Suddenly you have a million things to think about, like financial matters, legal affairs and, most importantly, making sure that your family is safe and well looked after while you're gone. And what about the dog?

Your car is another concern. What are you going to do with it? Will you store it away? If so, how and where?

  Will someone else be driving it? And what about insurance? You won't be around awhile and insurance is expensive. Maybe cancelling it would be a good idea. Or is it? Lots of questions, and you don't have a lot of time. Take a look at your three main car insurance options and choose the one that best fits your situation.

Continuing to Pay

You could, of course, continue to pay your monthly premiums as usual. This biggest disadvantage to this option is that it is the most expensive, but there are also a few important advantages. The first is that your vehicle remains covered in case of theft or damage, or if someone uses it without your permission. (By the way, if you plan on allowing anyone to use your car while you are away, it is essential that you do not cancel or suspend your insurance.)  The second advantage is that you won't have to deal with higher premiums once you return from your deployment and start your coverage up again. The reason you might encounter higher premiums is that many insurance companies consider payment history when calculating rates.

 A lapse in coverage may be seen as a negative even though it's due to your deployment and not irresponsibility. 

Cancelling Your Policy

Many military personnel choose to cancel their auto insurance altogether before heading overseas. As you might have concluded, this is the most cost saving alternative, at least in the short term and as long as nothing happens to your vehicle while you are gone. Just be sure that your car is stored in a safe and secure location, like a garage or storage unit, and that no one, and I mean no one, will be driving it. Keep in mind, though, that if there's a lien on your vehicle (that means a loan,) you probably won't be allowed to cancel your coverage. Also, make sure to tell your agent why you are cancelling your policy. Your insurer may waive any cancellation fees and might not raise your rates once you return.

Suspending Your Policy

This is the option that falls between the other two. When you suspend your policy, your coverage stops temporarily during your deployment and is restarted when your return. Your policy technically remains active, so you won't face problems with gaps in coverage, but you also won't be able to file a claim for any damage that occurs during the suspension. As with cancellation, you must make sure that your vehicle is stored securely (in fact, your insurance company will probably insist on an affidavit stating how it is being stored) and that no one will be operating it during the suspension period.

Nothing's Simple

I don't have to tell you that. You're in the military. When it comes to your car and insurance while you are deployed, though, I'm afraid it's true. There is no one simple answer that I can give you here.  That's because the rules regarding auto insurance are different in every state, so you are simply going to have to check the specific laws in your jurisdiction to know your options. In addition, each insurance company applies different rules about whether or not you can suspend or cancel your policy while deployed, and that means carefully reading your policy and giving your agent a call. Just remember that "simple" and "easy" are two different things, and once you understand the rules, the rest should be pretty easy.