What if I get into an Accident in a Rental Car?

Driving a rental car usually involves driving an unfamiliar car, often in an unfamiliar location, such as on a business trip or vacation. Lack of familiarity with the rental car and unknown roads combine to produce a situation that can be an accident waiting to happen, particularly if you don’t take care to familiarize yourself with the car, route and traffic rules of the region.

Keep in mind that if you are travelling in foreign countries, they will likely have different emergency numbers than the ‘911’ used in Canada and the United States.  It is a good idea to ask the rental agent for the emergency number that applies in the countries in which you will be driving.  For example, in Europe, ‘112’ is the standard number for emergency services, but some countries have additional numbers to differentiate medical, fire and police emergencies. Britain also uses ‘112’ but  ‘999’ can also be called and should be used if you’re calling from a cell phone without a SIM card.

Wherever the accident occurs, remember not to speak with the insurance adjuster from the other driver’s insurance company, and never admit that the accident may have been your fault.

Call your rental car company and your insurance agent to report the accident immediately and to get instructions from them as to how best to proceed. There should be a telephone number readily available for you to call to reach a rental company representative who will give you instructions. Don't assume that the automobile insurance you have for your own car will cover your rental car. That's something that should ideally be determined before you leave on your trip. If you work with an independent insurance agent, contact him/her to inform them of your accident and to advise you what to do.

Rental car accidents occur every day and when they do, many Canadians are left scrambling to find their car insurance policies to confirm that the insurance coverage they thought they had does in fact cover them for this accident.  Some of us look to the rental car insurance policy or our credit card insurance policy to pay for the collision damage caused to the rental car.  However, the smartest move is to consult our insurance agent in advance for advice on exactly the type of coverage to purchase from the rental agency, in the event that we’re not adequately covered by our personal automobile insurance policy.  This decision can prevent having to purchase expensive insurance at the point of rental to cover the expenses of damaging the rental car.

The part of an insurance policy that covers you in the event of a rental car accident is a collision damage waiver.
 

Collision Damage Waiver
Regardless of the other coverages you have, it might be a good idea to purchase the rental car company's collision damage waiver on the rental car insurance policy. With this rider to the insurance policy, the renter will not be held financially responsible if the car is damaged or stolen. The downside is that such a policy waiver will usually double or triple the daily cost of your rental car. However, for many people it's better to be safe than sorry and the insurance company is betting you'll agree.

Medical Costs
First aid, ambulance rides and emergency room visits are expensive and you need to know if your current policy, credit card, or rental insurance policy covers them as well as surgeries, stitches, broken bones and other longer term major medical costs. You may need to purchase travel health insurance coverage to cover you in the event that a collision or mishap results in injuries that need to be treated.

Rental Car Accidents in the United States
You may be surprised to learn that if you are renting a car in the United States and have an accident, a claim may be advanced in Ontario for accident benefits in the 50 contiguous United States as well as throughout Canada. This applies to cars rented in Canada and driven to the U.S. as well as cars rented in the U.S. and driven there. If you have an automobile accident in a rental car in the United States, an Ontario car accident attorney with the ILO group can represent you in an accident claim and take advantage of the benefits available to you as a Canadian citizen.

If you have been injured or have lost a loved one in any automobile accident, you may have a case to sue the insurance company of the negligent driver. Call Injury Lawyers of Ontario (ILO) and take advantage of our experience and expertise in personal injury and negligence law.  Let us learn the facts of your accident and advise you on your best course of action to get the compensation you deserve.