Plugging the Gap: The Need for Drive-Other-Car Coverage
By The Reschini Group
If you take five seconds to think about it, the number of vehicles on the road at any given moment is absolutely staggering. Then 
think of the various types of drivers, the owners of those vehicles, the accidents that remain an ever-present possibility, and it becomes clear that car insurance is, by necessity, a very complex industry.
Here’s just one unique slice of that complex world. If an employee of a company were provided with a company vehicle – and if that employee does not own a car of his or her own, and subsequently has no personal automobile insurance – then the employer has a real and potential liability exposure, should that vehicle be involved in an accident.Drive-Other-Car coverage closes that particular gap for employees who do not have their own personal automobile insurance policy, when they are driving a “non-owned” vehicle for personal use. The insured (the company that owns the vehicle) is not at risk; it is actually the employee without automobile insurance who is at risk, and this endorsement provides them with protection. The full technical definition is as follows: Drive Other Car endorsement is a commercial auto endorsement designed to provide non-owned auto coverage under a commercial auto policy similar to that which would be provided under a personal auto policy. A Drive Other Car coverage (broadened coverage for named individuals) endorsement is commonly used when an executive officer, for example, does not carry personal auto insurance because he or she is furnished a company auto. Coverage under the endorsement would come into play in the event the individual designated in the endorsement (including his or her resident spouse) is driving a non-owned auto for personal use. Coverage under the endorsement does not apply if the auto in question is owned by that individual or by any member of his or her household; or the auto is used by either of these individuals while working in a business of selling, servicing, repairing, or parking autos.The best scenario, of course, is for any employee who may be driving a company-owned vehicle to carry his or her own personal automobile policy. For those who don’t, however, Drive-Other-Car coverage can include coverage of liability, medical payments, uninsured motorist and physical damage.Be sure about your coverage. The professionals at The Reschini Group are well versed in these questions and how you can be adequately covered in any situation – including the myriad combinations of factors surrounding car insurance. Contact us to learn more.The idea, after all, is to get behind the wheel without getting behind the 8-ball. And to do that, you need to plug all the gaps.
Copyright 2016 The Reschini GroupThe Reschini Group provides these updates for information only. To make decisions regarding insurance matters, please consult directly with a licensed insurance professional or firm.