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A serious question to everyone complaining about uninsured drivers: do you ask your friends for proof of insurance before getting in their cars as passengers?

A serious question to everyone complaining about uninsured drivers: do you ask your friends for proof of insurance before getting in their cars as passengers? Do any insurance companies sell passenger insurance to cover accidents when you're the passenger in a car with an underinsured driver?

DanBC 11y ago
Insurance companies tend to cover passengers, unless those passengers are there because you're doing weird things. Car-pooling is sufficiently weird for insurers to require you to let them know you're doing it, and they may adjust the premiums. As for whether I ask: yes, I do. Most of the people I get lifts from are insured as part of their job and a bunch of other people have checked for me; or it's public transport and again other people have checked for me.
gambiting 11y ago
1) I don't, but I don't have any friends who would be so stupid as to not have insurance. If I do, that means my choices in friends are poor, but I hope not. On the other hand, when I'm getting into a car with a stranger I would really like to know if they have insurance. Just like I don't check the food my friends are serving me to make sure it's fresh,but when I go to a restaurant I expect relevant agencies to make sure that people employed there know how to cook and the place fulfils certain hygiene requirements. 2) I guess if that happened my home insurance would cover it. I'm honestly not sure what would be there to cover if I was a passenger though, even if I had to be hospitalized it wouldn't cost a penny(national health care).
- brandonmenc 11y ago
  > I don't have any friends who would be so stupid as to not have insurance You might be surprised. Probably less surprising is that they might be insured, but have taken out the minimum required for passengers. > I'm honestly not sure what would be there to cover if I was a passenger though, even if I had to be hospitalized it wouldn't cost a penny Pain and suffering, lost wages, cosmetic surgery.
  - gambiting 11y ago
    >>Probably less surprising is that they might be insured, but have taken out the minimum required for passengers. In EU any car insurance, no matter the premium, has to cover minimum 5 million euro for bodily harm and 1 million euro in property damage, so this is not an issue. But lyft does not operate here so it does not matter. >>Pain and suffering, lost wages, cosmetic surgery. Yeah, I can agree with those.
svachalek 11y ago
1. No, but I have a pretty good understanding of the economic situation of my friends and would be very surprised if they are not in compliance with insurance requirements. Some guy who just drives up to my house, not so much. 2. There is something called "uninsured motorist insurance" which covers a variety of situations caused by drivers without insurance. You'd have to check the details of a given policy as to this situation. Even without that, your health, disability, and life insurance should apply.
massysett 11y ago
I have health insurance, so treatment for my bodily injuries is covered. Someone else is driving, so if his negligence results in a wreck I generally won't be liable to the other driver. I won't be responsible for fixing his vehicle. That covers most garden-variety car wrecks, so there is little need to be concerned about my friend's insurance. I suppose if I were really on top of things, I would ask my friends for proof of insurance anyway, because maybe I would want to sue him for pain and suffering, which his insurance might pay for (my health insurance would not pay for that, or for lost wages.) Never seen "riding around in someone else's underinsured car" insurance. Typical umbrella policy wouldn't cover that unless I'm negligent. I suppose I could get disability coverage which might help protect against the lost wages from getting injured in someone else's car.
- samstave 11y ago
  Your injuries could potentially be more than what your insurance would pay, thus your driving friend would be liable for the injuries. Actually your insurer would likely go after his, assuming he had it, to get their costs mitigated.
  - massysett 11y ago
    > Your injuries could potentially be more than what your insurance would pay, thus your driving friend would be liable for the injuries. I suppose that could happen to some, but my insurance pays for all care after I satisfy the flat out-of-pocket requirement. I suppose my friend would be liable for the out-of-pocket cost, but that would typically be only several hundred dollars--a fair amount of money, but not much relatively speaking if this is a wreck that caused injuries.
  - muzz 11y ago
    Worse-- the insurer will deny the claim and make the patient go after the other person's insurance
- muzz 11y ago
  > I have health insurance, so treatment for my bodily injuries is covered No, that's not how it typically works. If the injury was caused by car accident, your insurer will likely deny the claim. This happened to me when someone rear-ended me and I went to the ER to get checked out; I didn't want to file a claim with the other party's auto insurance but had to for payment of the ER visit.
Spooky23 11y ago
Yes. Your auto liability insurance covers you in any personal vehicle.
- brandonmenc 11y ago
  afaik liability insurance only covers passengers when you are the driver (hence, "liable") and either typically, or always, not at all if you're a passenger - according to my sister, who works in the insurance industry - and, additionally, all of this varies greatly from state to state in the US.

DanBC 11y ago

Insurance companies tend to cover passengers, unless those passengers are there because you're doing weird things. Car-pooling is sufficiently weird for insurers to require you to let them know you're doing it, and they may adjust the premiums. As for whether I ask: yes, I do. Most of the people I get lifts from are insured as part of their job and a bunch of other people have checked for me; or it's public transport and again other people have checked for me.

gambiting 11y ago

1) I don't, but I don't have any friends who would be so stupid as to not have insurance. If I do, that means my choices in friends are poor, but I hope not. On the other hand, when I'm getting into a car with a stranger I would really like to know if they have insurance. Just like I don't check the food my friends are serving me to make sure it's fresh,but when I go to a restaurant I expect relevant agencies to make sure that people employed there know how to cook and the place fulfils certain hygiene requirements. 2) I guess if that happened my home insurance would cover it. I'm honestly not sure what would be there to cover if I was a passenger though, even if I had to be hospitalized it wouldn't cost a penny(national health care).

brandonmenc 11y ago
> I don't have any friends who would be so stupid as to not have insurance You might be surprised. Probably less surprising is that they might be insured, but have taken out the minimum required for passengers. > I'm honestly not sure what would be there to cover if I was a passenger though, even if I had to be hospitalized it wouldn't cost a penny Pain and suffering, lost wages, cosmetic surgery.
- gambiting 11y ago
  >>Probably less surprising is that they might be insured, but have taken out the minimum required for passengers. In EU any car insurance, no matter the premium, has to cover minimum 5 million euro for bodily harm and 1 million euro in property damage, so this is not an issue. But lyft does not operate here so it does not matter. >>Pain and suffering, lost wages, cosmetic surgery. Yeah, I can agree with those.

svachalek 11y ago

1. No, but I have a pretty good understanding of the economic situation of my friends and would be very surprised if they are not in compliance with insurance requirements. Some guy who just drives up to my house, not so much. 2. There is something called "uninsured motorist insurance" which covers a variety of situations caused by drivers without insurance. You'd have to check the details of a given policy as to this situation. Even without that, your health, disability, and life insurance should apply.

massysett 11y ago

I have health insurance, so treatment for my bodily injuries is covered. Someone else is driving, so if his negligence results in a wreck I generally won't be liable to the other driver. I won't be responsible for fixing his vehicle. That covers most garden-variety car wrecks, so there is little need to be concerned about my friend's insurance. I suppose if I were really on top of things, I would ask my friends for proof of insurance anyway, because maybe I would want to sue him for pain and suffering, which his insurance might pay for (my health insurance would not pay for that, or for lost wages.) Never seen "riding around in someone else's underinsured car" insurance. Typical umbrella policy wouldn't cover that unless I'm negligent. I suppose I could get disability coverage which might help protect against the lost wages from getting injured in someone else's car.

samstave 11y ago
Your injuries could potentially be more than what your insurance would pay, thus your driving friend would be liable for the injuries. Actually your insurer would likely go after his, assuming he had it, to get their costs mitigated.
- massysett 11y ago
  > Your injuries could potentially be more than what your insurance would pay, thus your driving friend would be liable for the injuries. I suppose that could happen to some, but my insurance pays for all care after I satisfy the flat out-of-pocket requirement. I suppose my friend would be liable for the out-of-pocket cost, but that would typically be only several hundred dollars--a fair amount of money, but not much relatively speaking if this is a wreck that caused injuries.
- muzz 11y ago
  Worse-- the insurer will deny the claim and make the patient go after the other person's insurance
muzz 11y ago
> I have health insurance, so treatment for my bodily injuries is covered No, that's not how it typically works. If the injury was caused by car accident, your insurer will likely deny the claim. This happened to me when someone rear-ended me and I went to the ER to get checked out; I didn't want to file a claim with the other party's auto insurance but had to for payment of the ER visit.

Spooky23 11y ago

Yes. Your auto liability insurance covers you in any personal vehicle.

brandonmenc 11y ago
afaik liability insurance only covers passengers when you are the driver (hence, "liable") and either typically, or always, not at all if you're a passenger - according to my sister, who works in the insurance industry - and, additionally, all of this varies greatly from state to state in the US.