temporary car insurance

Why Temporary Insurance is good for House sitters

One occasion I was asked to house sit for a family for three weeks while they went overseas on vacation. The house was in a rural area and they needed to lend me use of the family vehicle in order for me to get to town for supplies and entertainment and in case of emergencies. I did not have a car of my own so I did not have an insurance policy to attach this vehicle to and the family I was going to house sit for wanted to insure the vehicle in case of an accident, vandalism or theft.

Need UK info? Click here

The family checked with their insurance company for temporary insurance and then checked with some other companies that only dealt in temporary auto insurance policies. The rates for the companies that specialized in temporary policies only offered more competitive rates than the family’s regular insurance company offer and offered full comprehensive cover in the event of most accidents and uninsured motorists.

The family took out a policy for me and left on their vacation. For the first two weeks, I drove the twenty-minute drive into town without a hitch and was very familiar with the vehicle by this time. One Tuesday, I decided I wanted to take in a new movie at the afternoon matinee, do some window-shopping, and treat myself to dinner at an Indian restaurant that had received very good reviews in the paper.

I enjoyed the movie and set out for the shopping district driving during this sunny spring day. There was a car travelling in front of me and behind me with a lot of pedestrian traffic lining the streets. I decided to stay a safe car distance apart from the car in front of me just to stay on the cautious side. Sure enough, a team of teenagers ran out to cross the street in front of the car ahead of me causing them to stop suddenly.

I was lucky enough to stop in time so that I didn’t hit the car ahead of me, but the driver behind me had been texting on her cell phone, was not paying attention to the situation around her, and collided into the back of my car. The force of the impact drove my car into the car in front of me, smashing the back of their car and the front of my friend’s vehicle. The wind was knocked out of me as the airbag deployed.

I escaped the wreck with minor injuries that did not require hospitalization. The police arrived at the scene and the damage to my friend’s car was so extensive that it needed to be towed to a shop for repairs. When I called the insurance company to report the accident, they arranged for a rental car and the rental car company came to pick me up so I could drive a replacement vehicle. The insurance policy covered the cost of repairs to the vehicle and the body and mechanical problems were restored to working order.