M3EvoBR

Guys I want some experience with regular insurance and track claims

We were at PCA Today, and my friend had an accident with his car. He has Progressive Insurance. Anyone with real life experience ?
He's thinking about file for a claim, so experience are much appreciated.


Eddie.

masmole

Tell your friend to at least have the car towed off-site and away from the track, off the record, preferably somewhere remote. Then have it towed again to the nearest dealer using AAA or Porsche roadside assist, on the record. En route, phone-in a police report of the accident and claim that it happened while messing around at some back country roads. Yes, it's dishonest but you don't want to screw around with regular street insurance as most of them will deny coverage. Your friend needs to check the exclusions section on their policy, and sometimes even when not documented under exclusions, most carriers will still go out of their way towards denying covering any incident on a race track whether it's a timed event or not.

I know a few who have done this and everything has worked out. In the future, it's best to get track insurance unless you have deep enough pockets to pay for your own track misfortunes as they come.

EDIT: To clarify, I am not suggesting that this is the right course of action to take. It's merely an option depending on your own morals, and how far one would go to avoid a big monetary hit. Like I said in my last sentence, get track insurance or dig deep in your pockets (gotta pay to play) in the future. I just mentioned it as an idea because I've seen the above-mentioned practice done often at almost every track incident I've witnessed where the owner was aware that their insurance would not cover it. While everyone is taking the high road and doing the right thing in this forum thread, I've observed much different actions taken at the tracks time and time again, especially when fellow participants crowd around and in the heat of being "sh!+ outta luck", it often became suggested and even encouraged (sometimes unanimously) by the most unlikely of people (instructors, fellow drivers, corner workers, and other track personnel) to commit such insurance fraud as described above. I haven't done this. And fortunately, I haven't had to. (knocks on wood) Nor will I ever do it should something ever happen, which is why I have track insurance through lockton, despite USAA already confirming in writing with reference to the exclusions that I am covered as long as it is a driving school and a not a competitive timed event.

M3EvoBR

Guys keep coming ...

tks for your input, I don't that will be an option to him, as a lot of people saw it, and a lot of low lifes taking pics, and driving around to check the car. We towed it out pretty fast, but I don't believe he will agree to do that... but If he has a chance he will fight on court.

M3EvoBR

Worst case part the car out ... pretty expensive parts, btw is not a P car.

AllanJ

File it under "life lesson". Phone the insurance company and be honest about it. If it was a DE with instructors then it might qualify for insurance coverage under a "driving school" section. Argue that point.

Committing insurance fraud and filing a false police report is a great way to really screw up more than your wallet if a fella was to get caught.

tlarocque

Why don't you call his insurance company and act like you are shopping for insurance. Then you can ask if they'd cover a loss at the track.

I think coverage for non-timed track events varies greatly. I asked my carrier (USAA) specifically about this and was told that, so long as its in the setting of HPDE and NOT TT or racing, my car would be covered. I was also told that this coverage would not extend to passengers in my car, other cars at the track I might tangle with, or injuries to other parties (track worker, etc). HOWEVER, I have not and hope not to test this coverage.

I cannot say that I condone being dishonest. Insurance fraud is a big deal. Possibly a lesson learned the hard way.

M3EvoBR

Knowing him, he would never call it outside the track. that's not an option. If they don't cover, he will take the loss and learn the hard way.
Trust me I was driving there Today, and felt like ice. Drift king for the entire session.

M3EvoBR

The driving school is a good approach in case it goes to court. I'm going thru hell with insurance, as my wife got hit, in a 2 days old car, and they only want to fix the car and call it a day. I hired a attorney right away to take care of with rights.

OldGuy

Be careful he could be canceled faster than you can say Flo. Someone out here near Bakersfield bought
4 18 wheeler trailers and put a sign up that says dont trust Progressive. If I remember correctly about 3 years ago companies started pulling the plug on DE events.
A BIG problem is the low lifes taking pics. IF those get on forums and there is any shenanigins with the company and someone snitches on the driver, then it might get legal.

Regards

Nugget

The event photos are only a problem if the guy lies and tries to hide what really happened. I agree that taking pictures of a crashed car at the track is a bit of a dick move, but it's nowhere near as low on the "low lifes" scale than insurance fraud. It's certainly not actionable.

Absolutely. Good for your friend for having that attitude.

Sadly, there's not much insight we can provide here. Every carrier is different, and the policy text will vary dramatically from state to state. Your friend just needs to read his policy very carefully to see which exclusions might apply. Some policies outright exclude coverage for any on track event, some only exclude coverage for competitions. Reading the policy is the only way to know what he's dealing with -- in my experience even calling the agent isn't a reliable method for determining coverage.

I know people who have had on track accidents and had the claim denied. I know people who have had on track accidents, gotten insurance to pay, and not even had their policies dropped. It all depends on the carrier and the policy.

louwill

Here's another important lesson: always remove your license plate from the car.

I wouldn't advise insurance fraud. Pay to play. It's unethical to say the least and karma's a b!tch.

kyrocks

+1

Terry L

It cannot be overemphasized to read the ACTUAL POLICY. Not what the broker says, not a summary, nothing but the actual words of the policy. They are not that technical but differ greatly among companies and states. Telling someone to commit a crime is a terrible idea for a lot of reasons.

jmachul

+1, i
I am on the company side of the auto insurance business and will tell you that the language is everything. I have had our counsel read this language for track friends in sumilar situations. Most companies have language that specifically excludes racing, it's preperation for or any timed event. DE's are not any of those, but you need to look for stand alone language that specifies "any use on a closed circuit which is specifically designed for racing." If that language is not there, which in our research, not many do, he has a pretty good case.

TRAKCAR

John and Eddie, call me for phone numbers if you want to chat.