Renting a Vehicle, does your Insurance Policy cover it?

Renting a Vehicle, does your Insurance Policy cover it? 

 People rent vehicles for different reasons including: 

•  A business trip, 
• To take a vacation, 
•  For alternate transportation when their vehicle is being repaired. 

When renting a vehicle, one of the most important things to make sure of is, if your insurance transfers to the vehicle that you rent.
To find this out, you can check a few places:

• Your actual policy document, 
• Your agent 
• The insurance company directly. 

You may want to contact your insurance company to find out if your policy will cover a temporary rental vehicle. 
 Ask the following questions, this will help you avoid some of the possible issues. 

• Does my insurance policy cover a rental vehicle? If so, how long will it cover the rented vehicle? Most insurance companies will cover rentals only for a specific time frame. Every Insurance company policy is different. 

• What type of vehicle can you rent? Some policies will not allow for luxury, exotic or custom vehicles. 

• Who is covered to drive the rental vehicle? Make sure you know who can drive and who is not covered to drive. This is important because some policies limit who is covered. 

• What do I do in case of an accident? 

• Who am I speaking with? Write down to whom you have spoken with and what they said to do if an accident happens. This could be important if information you received was not correct. Make a note of what department or extension they are at since some employees do interpret policies incorrectly and if they are incorrect and something happens, you want to be sure that you record who gave you the erroneous information.   

• Will I be liable for a deductible should I need to file a claim? If you have collision coverage, some policies will, and others will not, charge a deductible for this type of loss. 

Other Information you need to know: 
Does the credit card that you rented the vehicle with provide additional coverage? Find out. Some cards provide free damage coverage for vehicles rented up to a maximum of 30 days when using their card. Check with your credit card company to see if this is offered.
  
Warning: Make sure to read the fine print because each company has different requirements for the coverage. Some will only cover you for the amount not covered by your auto insurance policy, and others will cover you as a primary and do not require any concurrent coverage. 

Mistakes to avoid: 

• When you rent a vehicle, your coverage will usually only provide temporary coverage for a rental vehicle. 

•  It is usually up to 30 days, once you have rented a vehicle over 30 days, an insurance company does not consider it a temporary vehicle and it must be added onto the policy for coverage to continue. 

• Your policy will only cover you for the amount of coverage listed on the policy for up to 30 days. 

•  If you have a vehicle listed on the policy where you purchased liability and property damage, the insurance company will only cover you for liability and property damage. 

• Make sure you obtain some type of insurance that will cover any damages that you may cause to the vehicle; whether through the rental companies damage waiver or by using a credit card that provides (collision) damage coverage.   

 

If you have further questions, be sure to check with your insurance company, they can provide the best information regarding what your policy will or will not cover. The last thing you want to do is have an accident without valid insurance coverage. 

Keep it between the lines,
Happy Motoring

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252.338.2131
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Automobile Accidents - Information for Insurance Claims

Automobile Accidents – Information needed for Insurance Claims


Okay – you have just been in an accident. Now  what?
After the initial shock of, WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!
You need to gather some information. This will help expedite your claim.

Download the Free E Booklet Today. Keep a Copy for Accident and Car Rental Coverage for Insurance Claims, with Checklists handy.

           
          Get complete information from the other party(s) involved.
These means copying down their address, driver’s license number(s), date of birth, and get their phone number.  You also want to get their insurance information including, the company, policy number, agent if there is one, the policy begin and expiration date and the insurance companies phone number. You need as much info as possible to give to your insurance company; this will help get your claim resolved as fast as possible.

             Who saw the accident happen? See if you can get information from anyone who saw the accident. This can help the insurance companies determine who is liable for the accident.

             Have the Police been called? Make sure to get the name and badge number of the officer and a report number. They will usually give you a business card. It may take your insurance company up to 3 months to get a police report. Tip: Get a copy of the police report for yourself. Sometimes issues will come up and you may need it. Do not rely on the insurance company to keep a copy.

             Get the vehicle(s) year, make and model, the license plate number, and VIN number for each vehicle involved in the accident.

             Where were you when the accident happened? Gather as much information as to traffic, speeds, road condition, any traffic signs or signals. Better yet, Get a Picture. Take photos of the cars, and the roads or area surrounding the accident. Write down the intersection or street that the accident happened on. If you can get the other party in the photo, it could help if either insurance company needs help identifying the other party involved.

              Note how many people were in each of the vehicles involved. Once you know, make a brief note of their description or name including: ethnicity, gender, weight, height, etc. This will help if you are the victim of a staged accident or other type of insurance fraud since people sometimes mysteriously are reported as an occupant of the vehicle when they were not even there. This is not common, but if it ever does happen, this will help you avoid being a victim.

               How damaged were the vehicles right after the accident? Was it drivable? How bad is it damaged? Check to see if you can tell if some damage was already there not related to this accident. If there was additional damage on the vehicle not related to this accident, be sure to tell your insurance company, so that you don’t end up paying for something you did not cause.

                Where do I go to get my vehicle repaired? Your Insurance Company may have a Body Shop that they work with in your area. If you know of a Body Shop that you want to use, have that information handy. Be sure to ask about the Body Shop’s warranties and what exactly do they cover. Make sure that you understand your deductibles, and if they apply to this situation.

                 Record all the information and keep it in a safe place. This will help if there is a problem with the claim. When you report the accident, be sure to write down who you spoke with, your claim number, and what if any promises were made.

Keep it between the lines,
Happy Motoring

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