One of the key parts of auto insurance is it protects me if someone steals my car and runs over a nun. Or if my nephew, who happens to be visiting, decides to take it out one night without my permission and runs over a nun. My policy covers a rental car if someone steals it and kills a nun. It would seem to me that it would be one hell of a hole if they did not cover me if that nephew who was traveling with me decided to take the car out while I was having breakfast, without me knowing and without being on the rental contract and kills a nun. If you follow your theory on that one, that the insurance company can walk away from it, you better list all the people traveling with you as drivers. And that will be a problem when you get to the 14 year old that doesn't have a drivers license.
Protects you from what? Did you run over the nun? How are you liable for anything that happens after someone steals your car?
Stolen without permission from:
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Q : What Happens If Someone is Killed or Seriously Injured by the Driver of a Stolen Vehicle? A: Drivers of stolen vehicles have less regard for the safety of their fellow citizens than other drivers. They often run stop signs and red lights at a high rate of speed, thereby putting other people at risk. When an accident occurs, the vehicle they were driving is not covered by an insurance policy, because the driver was driving without permission of the owner. It is unlikely the driver of the stolen vehicle has any other insurance policy available to him. Therefore, the injured parties must look to their own insurance for compensation.
See the same type of answer (actual multiple answers) here:
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"When an accident occurs, the vehicle they were driving is not covered by an insurance policy, because the driver was driving without permission of the owner. "
This takes me back to what I have said numerous times. I do not own the rental vehicle. If I let my son operate the vehicle without them being listed, he would be driving the vehicle without the permission of the owner, therefore, not covered by my policy.
Go back to the example I first gave when I brought this up. I said suppose you stopped at the 711 for coffee, left the keys in the car, and the car is stolen. Under that scenario, you are potentially liable because your negligence contributed to what happened. Or suppose even worse, you left the car running while getting that coffee. In those cases, I can see the nun suing you and winning. Those cases are different than the car being stolen when parked locked on the street.
And it's my understanding that MY policy would cover me for that 711 example.
But from your own report, your insurance company never said those words. They gave you some cryptic answer that essentially said yes, no, maybe. You interpreted that as them "protecting" you. Protecting you from them apparently. But I would interpret that answer as the insurance company simply not wanting to get involved in getting you into OTHER potential legal trouble.
What you asked them was if it's OK to cheat the rental car company out of the additional fee they are entitled to if you have others drive the car. Would you expect any insurance company to just say "Why yes sir, it's perfectly OK with us for you to go ahead and cheat that rental company and not list those drivers?"
At the same time, the insurance company knows there are other bad things that can happen to it's policy holder, due to doing that. Legal problems like the car being pulled over for a traffic stop, driver isn't on rental contract, police can't verify who they are, and impound the vehicle. I would think that is what the insurance company is trying to protect you from.
Left the keys available to the nephew, didn't properly secure the car, knowing the nephew was a little urchant with a penchant for getting into trouble are some examples of what I could have done that would leave me open for liability.
cover me if that
Yes, the facts are that you can be sued and plaintiffs can win under the scenarios I gave you. And if your policy didn't cover these, it would be a potential serious hole in the policy. But I say my policy does cover me for these scenarios.
And again, if you think your policy does not, then you're open to taking the hit personally in the above scenarios. We could go on to expand this to the rental car, but unless you agree with the above scenarios, it's pointless.
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