Once upon a time there lived an unlucky driver named John Doe. Through no direct fault of his own he got involved in a lot of car accidents. He couldn’t afford automobile insurance and thought the best way to deal with an accident was to beg the other driver not to turn him over to the police. He offered to pay the expense out of his own pocket. It worked a few times. But then one day his luck ran out.
Driving without automobile insurance is illegal in most states and could lead to hefty fines and a suspended license. Some people believe that as long as they drive carefully there is little to no chance of a collision. But that thinking doesn’t factor in the careless driving of others, nor does it consider random accidents that happen unexpectedly and are really nobody’s fault.
Faultless, unexpected accidents are the reason automobile insurance was created in the first place. Insurance can protect everyone and everything involved in the accident, including the drivers, passengers, vehicles and any property. Some forms of insurance can even protect insured drivers from un-insured motorists. Comprehensive insurance goes one step further, protecting against theft and vandalism, fire damage and other un-anticipated events.
Automobile insurance is also highly advisable for car rentals. If a motorist is driving out of state, even if he drives cautiously, there is always a chance of an accident. Car rental insurance is expensive, much more so than regular insurance. But the alternative involves taking the risk that an accident will happen, and that he will be liable for damages, whether the accident was due to his negligence or pure bad luck. How unfortunate it would be for a driver to have to pay out-of-pocket for a new car that he'll never be able to drive.
Buying automobile insurance, whether for a personal vehicle, business vehicle or rental car, is both the safe and legal thing to do. Many insurance companies offer special rates for safe drivers, drivers over a certain age, and drivers who take an educational course in defensive driving.
While full coverage insurance is usually recommended, and in many cases required for financing a vehicle, some motorists only have liability insurance. Liability insurance handles claims against the policy holder, including bodily injury and property damage. Comprehensive coverage insures for damage not caused by a collision. Full coverage automobile insurance includes liability, collision and comprehensive coverage. Some full coverage and liability automobile insurance policies will also ensure a rental vehicle.
There are other forms of automobile insurance worth noting, for instance, un-insured motorist coverage. This protects the insured against collisions where the other party has no insurance. Someone has to pay for an accident and it shouldn’t have to be the insured motorist!
Murphy’s Law suggests that “if anything can go wrong, it will.” This definitely applies in automobile accidents. Automobile insurance is there to protect drivers when they have finally run out of good luck.
Tristan Andrews is a writer for California Car Insurance.
