Don’t Forget The Risks Associated With Vehicle Sharing
Wednesday, June 16th, 2010If you reside in an urban area, possessing a car can be both costly and a hassle. Getting a parking spot may rival locating a Taliban commander in its difficulty. Spending money on parking can leave a significant hole in your wallet. Because of the large quantity of motorists on the road, car insurance costs are usually higher in big cities. Fuel economy is reduced during city driving due to the fairly slow speeds and regular stops. As a result, many city residents are saying no thank you to car ownership and relying on other options. Mass transit remains an essential option, but a somewhat new idea is taking over in many U.S. urban centers: vehicle sharing.
As per CarSharing.net, at the start of 2010 there were 27 car sharing programs in the U.S., helping 388,000 members and sharing 7,500 vehicles. They go by names such as Zipcar, Car2go, City CarShare, and Community Car. The programs impose an annual membership fee and may even ask for an application fee; Zipcar, for example charges a $50 annual fee and a $25 application fee in the Washington, D.C. area. A separate fee is applicable for every use of a car (for instance, $30 for a four-hour reservation), which covers gas, car insurance requirements, and a specific amount of miles.
The kinds of individuals most likely to use a vehicle sharing program include:
* Those who usually use public transportation but who need their own car on occasion
* People who own one vehicle and from time to time require a second
* People who own compact vehicles but occasionally need a bigger automobile
* Those who do not want to buy a car but could spend the money for membership fees
* Those who wish to steer clear of the inconvenient aspects of car ownership, such as upkeep, costs, and storage costs
* Naturalists concerned about the pollution that comes along with vehicle ownership
A person using a car sharing service undertakes risks similar to those she would take while renting a car. She may incur legal responsibility for injuring someone or harming another’s property when using the car. She may suffer injuries in an accident, resulting in healthcare expenses as well as forfeited income. She may wreck the vehicle and become responsible for repair costs. The car sharing service offers liability insurance, but the borrower does not have any assurance that the amount of insurance coverage is going to be sufficient to pay for all the damages. Additionally, that insurance might not apply if she lets an unauthorized person to drive, like a “designated driver” during a night on the town. If she doesn’t own a vehicle, she might want to buy a named nonowner car insurance plan, which will cover liability, medical, as well as uninsured or even underinsured motorist losses in addition to what the vehicle sharing service’s policy offers. Also, some umbrella liability policies may insure damage to a borrowed vehicle if the vehicle sharing service’s policy doesn’t pay. An expert broker can identify insurers that offer these types of coverages and make clear the disparities in coverage as well as price associated with the various policies.
For folks residing in areas where it’s accessible, car sharing is often a very practical alternative to owning a vehicle. Like every special service, it bears particular risks. However, by making some simple plans in advance, drivers can benefit from these services and be confident that they have limited their financial risks.