|
ARTICLES
Free Vehicle Insurance for Departments
How to Report Vehicle Accident
Need to Rent a Car?
Workers Compensation
Free Vehicle Insurance for Departments
The office of Risk
Management has a deal for all departments that own vehicles. How can your
department get free physical damage insurance, comprehensive and collision,
and save those precious funds? Look for the FY04 Automobile Physical
Damage Insurance Renewal email and just fill out the attachment with any vehicle
that is five years or newer. So, what happens if you have a vehicle
that is over five years old and you still want a bargain for insurance?
Risk management has you covered again. List the vehicle on the form for
coverage at a departmental charge of only $36.00 a year. Once Risk
Management has received your completed forms back, your departmental vehicles
will be added to coverage which has various deductible and limitations. If
you have not received an email from Risk Management or you have questions,
please contact us at 885-7177.
End of Article
How to Report Vehicle Accident
Good driving habits and defensive driving techniques can
help reduce the changes of an automobile accident. Unfortunately, accidents
still occur. It is important to know what to do if you are involved in an
accident while driving a University of Idaho vehicle or rented vehicle.
You are responsible for ensuring the vehicle you are
driving contains an accident information packet. The packets consist of three
items: a tri-fold Auto Accident Report Guide, a Certificate of Financial
Responsibility, and a Citizen’s Claim Procedure form.
An accident, even if minor, is very upsetting to all
parties. You should try to remain calm, offer assistance if anyone is injured,
and notify the police. Do not comment on the accident facts or fault. The auto
accident guide gives an outline of what to do. It is also the form you will use
to report the accident to the Risk Management office. Do not give the guide to
the other party.
Your primary responsibilities are to gather as much
information as you can, and to report the accident to your supervisor and to
Risk Management as soon as possible. If there are serious injuries, or severe
damage, Risk Management should be notified by telephone at (208) 885-7177 or
(208) 885-6177. The Auto Accident Report Guide should be sent to Risk
Management, Adm 209, PO Box 443162, Moscow ID 83844-3162, immediately
afterwards.
The law enforcement officer who comes to the scene will ask
to see a proof of insurance for the University of Idaho vehicle. The
Certificate of Financial Responsibility is that proof.
If the other party believes that the University of Idaho
driver is responsible, be courteous but do not either accept or deny fault.
Give the other party the Citizen’s Claim Procedure form. It provides
instructions on how to file a claim against the University of Idaho/State of
Idaho. The Citizen’s Claim Procedure is the only form that goes to the other
party. From that point forward, any questions by the other party should be
referred to Risk Management or possibly the State of Idaho.
If the University of Idaho vehicle has been listed for
insurance cover with Risk Management for physical damage coverage, and the
vehicle is not drivable, note the name of the tow company and find out where it
is being taken. Storage charges are expensive and can mount rapidly. It is
important that this information be transmitted to Risk Management quickly. If
the vehicle is drivable, the supervisor of your department should tell the
driver what two shops he should get estimates from.
Do not hold the report waiting for the estimates for the
University of Idaho vehicle if the accident involves another party. Please sent
the Auto Accident Report Guide to Risk Management and then follow with the
police reports and/or your estimates as soon as they become available.
You can contact risk management by emailing
risk@uidaho.edu; calling (208) 885-7177, mailing to PO Box 443162, Moscow
ID 83844-3162, or come by the Administration Building room 209, to obtain the
accident information packet, report accidents, or ask questions.
End of Article.
Need to Rent a Car?
There are several things you will need to remember when you
rent a vehicle.
You will need to rent it in the name of the university.
Some rental agencies require the drivers name to appear first. This is
acceptable to list the driver’s name/University of Idaho.
Your rented vehicle must have a “State of Idaho” accident
form kit. If your department doesn’t have any, you can request one by emailing
risk@uidaho.edu or calling (208) 885-7177. Please provide your name,
department, department address, and how many kits you would like. The office of
Risk Management will forward the requested amount of kits out that day.
Renting cars inside the U.S. or its possessions
US possessions, per the terms of “coverage” include
American Samoa, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands, Mariana Islands, and Puerto Rico.
Inside the U.S., since the University of Idaho has vehicles that are currently
insured through the State of Idaho, you don’t need to purchase insurance from
the rental car company. Be aware there is a $500 deductible for damage to the
vehicles, which must be paid by your department. All windshield damage must be
paid in full by your department.
Renting cars in Canada and Mexico
It is highly recommended that rental car insurance be
purchased from the rental agencies in Canada and Mexico. Purchase the minimum
compulsory insurance. The rental agency will be able to inform you of the
compulsory insurance minimum. The states coverage will provide an excess layer
over the minimum compulsory amount.
Renting cars outside of the U.S. other than Canada or
Mexico
You will not need to purchase rental car coverage from the
rental agency unless:
You are in a country which requires compulsory insurance
purchased. The rental car agency will be able to tell you the requirement. Our
“Foreign Liability” policy gives us a $1,000,000 auto liability limit; the
“comprehensive and collision” limit is too low for your rental circumstances.
The limits $2,500 per occurrence and $10,000 for the aggregate are good for
fender-benders but not much else; or you are in a country under State Department
sanction, no coverage applies.
The Administrative Procedures manual chapter 5 section 8,
9, and 10, covers the policies on vehicle usage, renting vehicles, and using
your personal vehicle. You can email your questions to Risk Management at
risk@uidaho.edu or call (208) 885-7177.
End of Article.
Workers Compensation
Does your program or department have,
or plan to have, out-of-state employees, including IH employees? Please check
your hiring plans against our list of insured states.
To maintain compliance with various
states' Workers Compensation laws, and to avoid penalties for non-compliance, we
need your help. Previously, the University had a "blanket" Workers Compensation
policy. We now have to add coverage state by state. We need to know, as soon as
you are planning your hire, if you are adding an employee in a state in which we
DO NOT have coverage. (If we have coverage in a state, just report payroll as
usual to Kathy Anderson. Don't call Kathy to add a new state.) If you are adding
an employee in a state in which we DO NOT have coverage, please contact Risk
Management immediately. It can take time to arrange coverage and we need you to
contact Risk Management during the planning phase. States in which we currently
HAVE COVERAGE are: AK, AZ, CA, CO, DC, GA, ID, ME, MD, MA, MI, MO, MT, NE, NM,
NY, OR, WA, TX. To add a state, please contact Risk Management at x7177 or risk@uidaho.edu. Thank you for helping UI remain in compliance with Workers
Compensation laws. When you call or email, we will need the following
underwriting information:
Dept name, SSN of person, Last name,
First name, Job title, Specific job duties,
Date hired, Date terminated (if
applicable), Hourly rate, Hrs per pay period,
Total projected salary, Work state,
Work address, Residence state, and
Residence address.
End of Article.
Return to top
|
