NY Times Article on Track Day Insurance

RX_Midget wrote: I was told that because it is a drivers education event that you would be covered by your auto insurance which also takes care of your medical in an accident.

I wouldn't count on it.

RX_Midget wrote: OK, you guys are all talking about the damage to the car. What if you get damaged at one of these un-sanctioned (non SCCA, NASA, ect...) events that are popping up everywhere at racetracks? I was told that because it is a drivers education event that you would be covered by your auto insurance which also takes care of your medical in an accident. I guess the person holding the event has insurance, but I would not trust their policy to cover my injuries and that is why I now stick with sanctioned SCCA events and have done NASA in the past. They have established policies for medical coverage. Oh, and as for the car - just be able to throw it away financially and mentally.

Having been an event organizer at "one of th(o)se un-sanctioned (non SCCA, NASA, ect...) events" for many years I can answer this one easily.

The reality is that every track I have dealt with all have required the renter to provide liability insurance. The amounts differ from track to track, but generally speaking they are substantial. My group purchased a policy every year that covered us for 10 weekends / 20 days and the cost was around $50K. In all of the years I was involved we had only one claim made against it and the insurance company actually had the check ready before the claimnant called (largely because the organizing group made the call immediately).

However, the really tricky one that is popping up now is YOUR medical insurance. Don't assume that you are automatically covered, because you may not be. A former employer provided a policy that in the last year added a specific exclusion for injuries in timed events. Fortunately I had other insurance avenues, but it could have been a nasty surprise.

wreckerboy wrote: However, the really tricky one that is popping up now is YOUR medical insurance. Don't assume that you are automatically covered, because you may not be. A former employer provided a policy that in the last year added a specific exclusion for injuries in timed events. Fortunately I had other insurance avenues, but it could have been a nasty surprise.

Another reason we need to change the health insurance system in this country. EVERY Health Insurance Policy out there has nasty little loopholes to keep from paying for many different reasons. McCain's Plan will allow you to buy insurance regulated in any state, INCLUDING States with very little or no regulation regarding these loopholes.

Tyler H wrote: HPDEs are a mixed bag when it comes to participant experience. If you assume the risk of stuffing your own car, do you also assume the risk of someone else causing you to damage/total your car? If someone damages their car as a result of your actions, are you liable to pay for their car or did they 'pay their money and take their chances?'

Yes. Pay your money. Take your chances. One of the dangers is someone else wrecking your car. If someone were to intentionally ram me or try to force me off the track, I might then take it up with them. But I have trouble imagining that happening on the track.

Neither am I liable for damage to someone else's car, unless I actively tried to cause damage to them, which I'd never do.

The only thing that could be questionable is, if you let a friend drive your car, and they wreck it, who's responsible? In that case, I think you'd better work it out with your friend. Probably the majority falls on the owner. If I damage a friends car driving it, I'll do my darndest to help fix it, but wouldn't consider myself responsible for the car.

i have heard about the ramming/trying to force off track thing before. at msr ft. worth, some kid in a civic apparently tried to block one of the veteran guys going into a turn. the civic ended up with a lug wrench through its windshield as a result of the off-track incident that followed