Information about The Graves
Amendment & Vicarious Liability in Rental Cars from
Tampa Car Accident Lawyer Dale Appell, P.A.
When you rent a car in the Tampa, Florida
area, you may assume that the rental car company holds
some responsibility if you are injured in one of their
cars. After all, vicarious liability laws in Florida say
that vehicle owners can be held financially responsible
for any accidents their cars are involved in, no matter
who is driving.
Well, it turns out that, because of
the Graves Amendment, rental car companies can no longer
be held vicariously liable for injuries occurring in their
vehicles. In 2005, The Graves Amendment was slipped into
a huge federal transportation bill that was signed into
law by President George W. Bush. The Graves Amendment
bans all states, including Florida, from forcing rental
car companies to be vicariously liable for accidents that
happen in their vehicles.
This means that rental car companies
are no longer responsible for any damages whatsoever occurring
in the cars or trucks they lease. The only possible exception
to this rule is if a company knowingly rents a faulty
car, which would be a difficult scenario to prove.
One of the main results of The Graves
Amendment is that, since rental car companies have little
or no responsibility for accidents, they do not have to
be as careful making sure that car renters have good insurance
or safe driving records.
With this in mind, drivers in Tampa
and throughout Florida should protect themselves by carrying
ample uninsured motorist coverage. There are many tourists
driving rented cars in our state, and since you cannot
be certain these drivers are safe or even licensed or
properly insured, it's up to you to protect yourself with
sufficient insurance coverage.
If you have any questions about
accidents in rented cars, The Graves Amendment, or carrying
uninsured motorist protection, please contact Tampa
car accident lawyer Dale Appell, P.A. today. Our law
firm is devoted to helping our Tampa area neighbors receive
the reimbursement they deserve when they are hurt by the
negligence of others.
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