Fatal Collision Makes Car-Sharing Worries No Longer Theoretical • Hacker News Board

Re: Fatal Collision Makes Car-Sharing Worries No Longer Theoretical

#141

Post by tibbon » Mon, May 21, 2012, 3:29 PM UTC

Nelson69 wrote: post #132

tibbon wrote: post #127

Can someone explain to me why it isn't always the operator of the vehicle who is liable for death/destruction caused by their operation? Unless the brake lines were severed intentionally or the vehicle was provably neglected, then it would seem to me that the ultimate responsibility is on the driver who causes the accident- not the owner of the car or the company that facilitated the rental.

Well, he's dead. In some sort of spiritual way, he is liable. What's going on here isn't about the guilt or real liability, it's about trying to turn pain and suffering into money. The simple rules for that are if you're going to try to sue someone, sue someone that has money and sue someone that you can get the money from. RelayRides, I would think, would be a better target, you might get more money faster but the r…

I guess I see it as his estate being the one that is responsible financially at this point. Life insurance policy, home, car, investments, etc.

Her making $10/hr off it really just doesn't seem to factor in in my mind. Wrecking the car wasn't an expected use of that rental.

Re: Fatal Collision Makes Car-Sharing Worries No Longer Theoretical

#142

Post by SkyMarshal » Mon, May 21, 2012, 4:51 PM UTC

gcb wrote: post #133

SkyMarshal wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If she researched a little more she would have not got a new hybrid but some old diesel. It's probably cleaner than agasoline hybrid I was under the impression old diesels were dirtier than gasoline engines. New clean deisels like in Audi's no, but old ones? But you're saying they're cleaner?

Not suggesting a 50s diesel. But anything up to the price of a prius would be better. Point is, even a gasoline suv pollutes less than a prius overall if you don't use it that often. Just arguing that as an engineer, you should look at other solutions instead of jumping the bandwagon. Let pointy hairy bosses and ruby on rails guys do it instead.

*>Just arguing that as an engineer, you should look at other solutions instead of jumping the bandwagon.

That's what I'm doing. I really want a diesel for my next car, but a clean diesel. Just wondering if there are any less expensive options than a new or relatively new Audi.

Re: Fatal Collision Makes Car-Sharing Worries No Longer Theoretical

#143

Post by gcb » Mon, May 21, 2012, 5:46 PM UTC

SkyMarshal wrote: post #142

gcb wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not suggesting a 50s diesel. But anything up to the price of a prius would be better. Point is, even a gasoline suv pollutes less than a prius overall if you don't use it that often. Just arguing that as an engineer, you should look at other solutions instead of jumping the bandwagon. Let pointy hairy bosses and ruby on rails guys do it instead.

*>Just arguing that as an engineer, you should look at other solutions instead of jumping the bandwagon. That's what I'm doing. I really want a diesel for my next car, but a clean diesel. Just wondering if there are any less expensive options than a new or relatively new Audi.

Previous diesels were awful because of the stuff we had in the diesel itself. The engines are still the same, mostly. any year car you get that still have good compression will give you a clean burn (if it's too lean, you get too much nitrogen oxide, to rich you get carbon and shoot).

if you want to go the extra mile you can either buy the hamburguer smelling vegetable conversion kits (too much hassle to refil imho) or you can spend extra and put a modern catalytic system in the old car and be done with it.

a 2000 VW, Audi, mbez will do wonders and cost from 6 to 12k.

Re: Fatal Collision Makes Car-Sharing Worries No Longer Theoretical

#144

Post by woobar » Mon, May 21, 2012, 10:51 PM UTC

alister wrote: post #28

jiggy2011 wrote: post #10

Perhaps the answer here is to insist that a renter must either have valid insurance already that would pay out to third parties in the event that they were driving any vehicle. Most fully comprehensive insurance in the UK already covers this assuming you have valid fully comp on some car already. For example I (being fully insured on my own car) could drive a friend's car without being specifically insured on it and…

> insist that a renter...have valid insurance [or pay a higher fee] If you don't own a car it is just about impossible to buy a liability insurance policy. I know this. I tried. I tried very hard. I don't own a car myself, but since I often rent a car when I travel, I decided that I'd try to buy a third-party liability policy instead of paying the absurd prices that Avis or Dollar charge (>$20 a day). I called about…

Actually, $20+ /day is the price of _additional_ liability insurance. In most states liability coverage up to state defined Fnancial Responsibility Limits is included in rental price. Ask at the time of getting your car to avoid additional fees.

For instance, Avis says [1]:

Avis provides liability coverage for its vehicles as required by applicable law. In most instances, this will include coverage for the renter or authorized driver up to the financial responsibility limits of the applicable jurisdiction at no additional charge. In some states, the liability coverage provided is excess to any other applicable coverage.

Excluded are CA, TX, UT.

Dollar has similar policies, but they are less specific in their generic policies [2]:

B. Third Party Liability Claims: Unless otherwise required by applicable law, a renter and/or any additional authorized driver (and the respective insurance company of each) is primarily responsible for all third party claims of personal injury, including death, and property damage caused or arising from the use and operation of the DOLLAR vehicle during the rental. (To the extent DOLLAR is required to provide coverage, in spite of the terms of the rental agreement, it shall only be in an amount necessary to satisfy the minimum financial responsibility limits required by applicable law.)

[1] Select (USA, Protections/Coverages, Automobile Liability) at https://www.avis.com/car-rental/content/render-faq.ac

[2] http://www.dollar.com/AboutUs/GeneralPolicies.aspx