Vehicle Accidents: Dangers of Renting a Car

Renting a vehicle is not something that many people do regularly unless you travel often. When renting a car, it is possible that there might be a higher risk for accidents to happen because you are not that familiar with the vehicle.

Another problem in renting cars in Los Angeles is that accidents involving rented vehicles are harder to process as there are more people involved. Aside from you and another driver, there are the rental agencies as well as their insurance companies.

For these reasons, it is sensible to first consult with vehicle accidents lawyers in Los Angeles after such an incident.

Before Renting a Vehicle: What you need to know

Whenever you rent a vehicle from an agency, you are both giving trust to one another: trust in the agency that the vehicle is safe to be used and driven and trust in you that you will drive the vehicle in a manner that is considered responsible.

Here are some things that you need to know about renting a vehicle:

• Right to Assume that Rented Vehicle is Safe to be Driven

A rental company has a special duty of ensuring that the vehicles rented from them by their customers are in a safe and roadworthy condition.

It is the agency's responsibility to check up on the vehicles they provide before rental as they are responsible for any injuries that are directly caused by defects that are known or those that should have been discovered in a reasonable inspection.

Make sure that you carefully read the rental agreement to know what is covered if the car is found to be faulty.

Furthermore, it might be helpful for you to quickly inspect the vehicle before you drive it off the area. This is usually done prior to leaving the grounds of the agency to cover and minor damages or dents to the vehicle that do not have any effects on its drivability. You are not required to do this. However, it might prevent any accidents. Agencies can also charge you for such damages when you return the vehicle so making an inspection is also a way to also protect yourself from this.

• Responsibilities of Customers

When accidents occur due to the customer's failure to drive safely and obey the laws, then it is not the responsibility of the rental agency. However, there are some circumstances in which the agency may be responsible for an accident caused by a customer if they are aware that they have rented a car to someone who is incompetent, reckless, or not fit to drive a vehicle. In such instances, the agency may be found at fault and may be sued.

• Insurance when Renting a Car

Usually, your current insurance policy will possibly provide certain coverage when renting a vehicle, but you should check first before you do. If not, you may normally buy additional coverage from the rental agency.

If you use a credit card to pay for the rental, it may give some protection, but make sure to check it first. However, coverage offered by credit cards can be very limited.

Avoid any duplicate coverage if you do not need it, so examine your options first before renting a car.

Los Angeles Vehicle Accidents Lawyers

Considering all these factors and the parties that may be held responsible, accidents involving rented cars may be complicated and hiring skilled vehicle accidents lawyers in Los Angeles may help you in all legal aspects of an accident.