You trust your limo drivers to always make the right decisions behind the wheel, but sometimes things happen that result in a collision, causing you to file a claim with your company’s livery insurance. Unfortunately, many accidents are caused by driver error, and if one of your drivers is at fault in an accident, your company will have some liability issues to clean up.

It’s sometimes difficult to determine who is mostly at fault for an accident. If more than one driver is involved it can sometimes fall on both drivers. What the police and insurance agencies do to determine who did what is decide who is more than 50% to blame for causing the collision. Here is a sample of some situations in which your limo drivers could be found liable for an accident:

Hitting a parked car: Your driver will be found at fault for colliding with a parked car, whether the car is lawfully or unlawfully parked.
Rear ending: Your limo drivers should follow the “two second rule” which means to always stay two seconds behind a vehicle. If your drivers choose to tail the car in front of them and that car suddenly stops short, guess who’s at fault? That’s right, your limo driver.
Failure to signal: Any time a driver fails to signal while either turning or switching lanes and subsequently collides with another vehicle, the driver who did not signal is the one responsible.
Failure to proceed with due caution from a traffic control signal: All drivers are familiar with red, yellow and green stop lights and obviously you’re never under any circumstance to run a red light. However, other traffic control signals include lane control signs and road work signs. A lane control sign will signal to drivers to stay in their lanes for a certain distance, and if your driver switches lanes in this zone and causes an accident, that’s on the limo driver.
Backing up: If one of your drivers is involved in a collision while backing up, they will most likely be found responsible. Cars backing up must give the right of way to oncoming traffic and can only proceed to back up if the road is clear or a driver allows them to go ahead.
Single vehicle collisions: Drivers are almost always found at fault for single vehicle collisions, so if a limo driver backs into a pole that’s on them.
Of course, there are many other instances in which a driver can be at fault for an accident. But we figured we’d share the most common ones with you. If you operate a limo business and want to avoid some common liability or collision claims on your livery insurance in Massachusetts, we recommend sharing this list with your drivers.

Ah, the age old question: “What decided my livery insurance premiums? Why are they as high as they are?” While this question is normally a complicated one to answer, Wolpert Insurance & Risk Management can answer almost anything on the spot, especially when it pertains to livery vehicles. The fact of the matter is, not one single thing decided your insurance premiums; it’s an array of multiple factors that, combined, contribute to what you pay. Here is a breakdown of common things that affect insurance premiums.

• Location: Geographic location can play a part in determining premiums and it generally pertains to things like population density and whether or not you’re in an urban area. For instance, premiums for a livery company operating in Montana would certainly be cheaper than one operating in New York or the Greater Boston Area.
• Vehicle class code: Insurance carriers look at the class code of the vehicle as well. Normally, the larger the vehicle, the higher premiums. Commercial buses are at greater risks than limos, so their premiums are normally the highest. Limos are generally more expensive than sedans as well, due to their size. Also, the amount of miles normally traveled will also play a role.
• Driver: Your drivers may factor into what your premiums are, too. If one of your drivers has a spotty personal or professional driving record, then it may cause you to pay more for your insurance. Tickets, accidents, age and experience can all be taken under consideration.
• Loss ratio: Your company’s performance over a five year period is referred to as your “loss ratio.” This number is calculated by adding claims which are closed and open claims to get the total losses incurred over this period. The insurance company will total the premiums paid verses any incurred claims to get the loss ratio number.

If you have any more questions at all concerning your limo insurance, contact Wolpert Insurance & Risk Management today to get the information you’re looking for. We’ll do everything we can to answer your questions to the best of our ability.

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When limo drivers gain experience they become accustomed to a variety of situations. Whether it’s driving in during a bright day, rainy night or even a particular holiday, some days are actually statistically more dangerous than others. But what are they? The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has put together a list of some of the most dangerous times of the day and year for people to drive. This information may be useful for your limo drivers and may cause you to rethink these certain instances and how they may affect your livery insurance.

The following are the ten deadliest days for drivers, according to data collected by the NHTSA:

1. July 4
2. July 3
3. December 23
4. December 24
5. December 22
6. August 3
7. January 1
8. September 1
9. September 2
10. August 4

As you can see, most of the days revolve around certain holidays including the Fourth of July, Christmas, and Labor Day. This may be a result of higher traffic concentrations of people traveling from airports for the winter holidays or going down the Cape during the summer. Also, many drivers are likely to be intoxicated over these days than others considering the nature of holidays like Christmas and the Fourth.

In addition to specific days, the NHTSA also outlines the most dangerous days of the week. They are in order:

1. Saturday
2. Sunday
3. Friday
4. Thursday
5. Monday
6. Wednesday
7. Tuesday

Obviously, it’s easy to notice a trend. The two weekend days plus Friday are in the top 3, and these days are usually when most drivers are intoxicated. In addition to the certain dates and days, the NHTSA rounded out their study with the most dangerous times of day to drive. They are:

• 3pm-6pm
• 6pm-9pm
• 9pm-Midnight
• Noon-3pm
• Midnight-3am

As you can tell, 4/5 times deal with either late night or rush hour. During rush hour, there are many more cars on the road than normal and many accident tend to happen around this time. Also, night driving is a precaution because not only is visibility limited, intoxicated drivers may be on the road as well.

At Wolpert Insurance & Risk Management we hope that you and your drivers take notice of the trends above in order to stay safer on the roads at certain times. The last thing any service needs is a claim on their limo insurance, so feel free to give us a call today to learn more.