Auto Accidents
| Punitive Damage Exclusions in Motorists Insurance |
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| Some automobile insurance policies have clauses that specifically exclude the payment of punitive or exemplary damages against an insured. Punitive or exemplary damages do not pay for bodily injuries or property damage. They are awarded over and above payment for those items. Punitive or exemplary damages are intended to punish the person who caused the injuries or damage or to make that person an example to deter others from such conduct. More... |
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| Underinsured/Uninsured Motorists Exhaustion Requirements |
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| Underinsured motorist and uninsured motorist provisions in auto insurance policies often contain language stating that the underinsured or uninsured motorist coverage will not become available until the policy limits of all insurance policies that are applicable to the accident have been exhausted by the payment of judgments or settlements. Such exhaustion requirements are included in the policy because of the substitute or supplemental nature of the coverage and the understandable desire of the insurer to assure that all other available coverage has been applied before it is obligated to pay benefits under the underinsured or uninsured motorist provisions of the policy. More... |
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| Auto Insurance Coverage for Newly Acquired Vehicles |
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| When a vehicle owner has an automobile insurance policy and acquires a new vehicle, the new vehicle will be automatically covered to the same extent and policy amounts as the insured's other insured vehicles, if the insurance policy has a provision for newly acquired vehicles. A newly acquired vehicle can be a replacement vehicle or an additional vehicle. The term also includes purchased and leased vehicles. More... |
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| Motor Vehicle Insurer's Right to Reimbursement of Indemnity Payments |
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| The obligations of insurers to make payments under policies of motor vehicle insurance are based on the sometimes uncertain answers to questions about the extent of coverage and the liability of an insured to a party making a claim under the policy. An insurer may therefore face a difficult decision as to whether to make a payment in response to a third party's demand for such payment under a policy, risking the possibility that the payment is uncalled for in light of some limitation in the coverage, or to deny such a request and risk a claim that the insurer's failure to make the requested payment has made it liable to an insured for additional damages, such as the amount of a judgment in excess of the policy limits. More... |
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| Auto Coverage for Mass Transit Vehicles |
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| Mass transit vehicles such as buses play an important role in carrying out the necessary activity of enabling the residents of the United States to conduct their public and private business. The sheer volume of human activity involved in mass transit operations, and the number and types of vehicles employed in mass transit around the country, create numerous issues related to the motor vehicle insurance aspects of the mass transit business. More... |
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