Auto Insurance Coverage for Permissive Users

If a motor vehicle driver had permission to use an insured vehicle and has an accident, the vehicle owner's automobile insurance policy may provide coverage. The permission had to be given by a named insured on the policy. The permission could be either express or implied. The permission had to exist at the time of the accident.

Impact of Riders/Endorsements on Auto Insurance Policies

A rider is a paper attached to a document that amends the document. In an automobile insurance policy, a rider can modify the conditions of the insurance policy. It can increase or decrease the policy's benefits. It can add exclusions from coverage, like a crime exclusion clause. The use of the rider means that the entire policy does not have to be rewritten if a change needs to be made. Riders are also known as endorsements, slips, or rubber stamps.

Setoffs and Uninsured Motorist Insurance Policies

Some state statutes allow uninsured motorist insurance companies to setoff amounts that an insured received from workers compensation, Social Security, and settlements with a liability insurance company. Therefore, if an insured were injured in a car accident while driving in the course of his or her employment, the insurance company could offset the uninsured motorist benefits in the full amount of the insured's workers compensation judgment.

Tort Liability for Use of Emergency Vehicles

The operations of emergency vehicles are a common everyday feature on the streets and highways of the United States. These operations consist of the employment of vehicles that include ambulances, police cars, and fire trucks in response to situations demanding more or less immediate reaction. Due to the frequency of their operations and the nature of their use, emergency vehicles are inevitably involved in accidents that result in the bringing of legal actions seeking to recover damages for death, personal injury, or property damage caused by such accidents.

Auto Insurance Coverage for Tow Trucks

The frequency of occurrence of vehicular accidents and various kinds of mechanical breakdowns that cause the disablement of cars and trucks on the streets and roads of the United States necessarily results in an extensive use of tow trucks to assist in the resolution of such situations and the removal of affected vehicles from the scenes of such accidents and breakdowns. The operations of tow trucks, and the variety of risks involved in their use, create a number of unique concerns in the area of motor vehicle insurance.