Renting a car in the USA and driver's civil liability. (page 3 of 5)

It's mainly for damage caused to others. If you run over Taylor Swift's dog, with a good lawyer she'll make you cough up $5,000,000

Hi Jacques, It turns out my credit card covers my civil liability abroad up to 5,000,000 €. Do you happen to have Taylor Swift’s address (I’d even have a little left over to bring her some flowers)? 😉

If you don't see what's wrong with your comment, I can't help you.

Hello everyone. I’ve been wondering: Is it still reasonable to rent a car in the U.S. these days? According to all indications, since early January 2025—and very quietly—the most important insurance coverage, namely the driver’s civil liability, has seen its coverage amount drop from $1 million to just $300,000. This coverage is supposed to protect us from damages we might be responsible for while driving. We can go decades without a single scratch (especially if it’s our fault), but anything can happen in a split second. A motorcycle appearing out of nowhere, a misjudgment at one of those huge intersections with staggered traffic lights, and suddenly we’re deemed at fault for the accident. We’d then have to pay out of pocket for the other party’s medical expenses. Given what hospitals charge... it can easily exceed $300,000 and turn into a nightmare in no time!!! On top of that, anyone who’s driven on American roads has seen those billboards for lawyers offering their services to accident victims. So, on top of the sky-high medical bill, the lawyer will demand Hollywood-worthy compensation!!!! So, is it even worth getting behind the wheel in America anymore? Well... that’s just my take! And what’s more, I haven’t found any insurance company that offers such high civil liability coverage. Companies like Chapka and others do offer coverage in the millions, but motor vehicles are excluded.... So here we are... Unless I’ve "missed something," I’ve come to this conclusion: Renting a car in the U.S. is like playing Russian roulette! But maybe I’m being too pessimistic? What do you think?

After all these anxiety-inducing thoughts, maybe the wisest move is to leave the driving to someone else... and just go with the flow. Local buses, if you’ve got the time, are a great way to travel stress-free, meet colorful Americans, and—icing on the cake—avoid any insurance headaches. And in American buses, the biggest risk... is that one (or more) passengers strike up a conversation. Which is already a little adventure in itself. 😄

Why do you keep painting such an unflattering picture of yourself in your posts?

Because she’s got confidence to spare?

Copyright Jojoone, today’s zinger 😎

You who worry about the forum's traffic can well imagine the effect of this thread on USA fans who have already largely abandoned this forum. 🙁

So you don’t care?

Hello.

Flowers for the dog’s grave?........😕😕😕

Have a good day. Jacques.

Working in risk management, I hope you never have to deal with a disaster like flooding, ground movement, or clay-related issues... Without home insurance, you won’t be entitled to any compensation from the Barnier Fund. If your house becomes uninhabitable, you’ll lose 100% of its value. You won’t be rehoused, and you’ll be left with nothing but tears...

That said, you’re still off-topic...

Working in risk management, I hope you never have to deal with a disaster like flooding, ground movement, or clay soil... Without home insurance, you won’t be entitled to any compensation from the Barnier fund. If your house becomes uninhabitable, you’ll lose 100% of its value. You won’t be rehoused, and you’ll be left with nothing but tears...

That said, you’re still off-topic...

Well, now you’re forcing me to reply "off-topic," and I appreciate you hoping for the best for me... 😏 My house is without a doubt the most modest in my hamlet (bought for 33,000 €), while the others around it range from 150,000 € to 300,000 €. It’s over a century old—iron bars with big screws were added in 1939 to reinforce it (photo attached). It’s built on rocks that sit above old mines 500 meters deep (the old-timers knew where to build since it’s 300 meters above the Cèze River). So, if the river floods, I’ll just watch the more modern houses get swept away, thanks to the mayor who granted building permits where he absolutely shouldn’t have 🤪. A Parisian who renovated his second home next to mine hired a "useless" handyman who, while working, moved and broke a few tiles on my roof (without telling me because I was traveling). As a result, I had leaks after some heavy Cévennes storms. That Parisian refused to listen, so I took matters into my own hands and learned from YouTube videos how to replace and reposition the tiles without climbing onto my roof (from my attic). It took me 30 minutes, tops. If I’d called someone, it would’ve cost me an arm and a leg. But I’m pragmatic and easygoing—I told that Parisian exactly what I thought of him to his face, and he was mortified. Thanks to his dishonesty, I learned how to replace and move tiles all by myself (and it didn’t cost me a thing) 🤡. And like you said, if something worse happens to my house, I’ll have nothing but tears (well, I’ll pee less) 😂

Don’t feel obligated to reply

Don’t feel obliged to reply

you’re right, especially since you’re deleting replies that don’t suit you don’t worry, you’re not the only one pulling these little tricks (I know another one) 😄

(I know another one)

If you're talking about me, you're mistaken.

But since you've decided X is like this, Y is like that, etc...

THESE ARE MONOLOGUES between 2 people and....

I'VE HAD ENOUGH!!!!!!

DMs exist, you're ANNOYING.

Goodbye

(I know another one)

If you're talking about me, you're mistaken.

But since you've decided that X is like this, Y is like that, etc...

Since my answers to your questions were all in line with this forum's editorial stance, the following ones will be even more so, and we'll see who does what. I’ve never "decided" what people here are worth—I’ll leave that role to you, you seem to excel at it. For my part, I prefer exchanging ideas rather than handing out labels. Back to travel discussions, which I prefer over verbal sparring!!!

You're reading an expurgated version. This monologue isn't from me.

THESE ARE MONOLOGUES for 2 and....

I'VE HAD ENOUGH !!!!!!

DMs exist, you're ANNOYING.

Goodbye

Not entirely true since the exchanges with two other members disappeared. Sorry if this bothered you, but we’re not stopping you from joining in 😅

Can we revisit the topic of civil liability insurance?😉 I’m totally clueless about this stuff, which is why I’d love to understand it better. If I go to the US this year and rent a car, I don’t want to be paralyzed by anxiety. So, I read that most rental companies’ insurance covers the driver up to $300,000, but one specific company (Sunnycar) covers up to $1 million—that’s way better. What bothers me, though, is that I also read that if you run over a celebrity’s dog, with a good lawyer, they could sue me for $5 million in damages... So even with the best rental insurance on the market, I’d still have to cough up $4 million. That’s something to think about! Maybe someone who’s a US specialist could give me some advice?

For the veterans: “we should never have left Montauban”..

For the old-timers: "You should never leave Montauban"..

😉😎

And we should go see Vesoul :)

Hi there. No way, Djalma, Sunny because it’s 10,000,000 €. So you can run over 2 dogs 🤪🤪