Sounds to me like you're from the USA (or Canada) - the system's roughly the
same in Austr as in North America - in every State except Tasmania, which
has a liability compensation scheme similar to the NZ one. One major
difference is the coverage for personal liability in the case of injury or
death included in the car Registration system. All hire (and private) cars
carry CTP insurance which indemnifies the driver against personal injury
claims!

Otherwise - Do here what you'd do at home.

Australia is at least as litigious a society as Canada or the US!!


"RQ" wrote in message
...
I may be visiting Australia and renting a car while there, but would like
to
better understand how the insurance system works, and how the various
coverages might relate to any coverage that might be provided by, say, my
credit card, what additional coverage I may need to purchase, etc.

1) How does the liability system for third party injuries, legal action
etc.
work? I.e. can drivers be sued as the result of a car accident (e.g. for
personal injuries to third parties), and if so, what insurance is included
and/or available to cover such potential liability? (I understand that in
New Zealand, drivers can't be sued for such damages, and instead personal
injury claims are covered by the governmental Accident Compensation
Corporation. Does a similar system exist in Australia?)

2) I took a look at one company's car rental "terms and condition"
document
available on the net (which doesn't seem to mention the personal
injury/legal liability issue raised above), and which includes some terms
which aren't really explained. It seems to say that the renter has to pay
the following, apparently on a "per incident" basis, regardless of cause
or
fault. No $ figures are given.

a) the "Loss or Damage Liability Fee",
b) the "Area of Use Liability Fee",
c) the "Single Vehicle Accident Liability Fee". (This one is explained
more
fully...i.e. no other vehicle involved, or the other vehicle is
stationary,
but no $ figure is provided.)

What do these terms (especially (a) and (b) refer to?

3) In general, what is included in the "standard cover" insurance included
with the basic rental cost, and what insurance must/can be purchased as
additional cover? The terms and conditions I looked at said that their
standard cover would also include amounts related to "prior accident value
or repair costs". Not sure what this means.

4) What are the usual insurance excesses or deductibles (i.e. $ amounts)?
What are the usual $ limits on costs for damage to the rental vehicle
and/or
third party property damage (and legal liability, if it applies)?

5) Are there any other issues car rental insurance which aren't
mentioned above but which should be taken into account when deciding on a
rental car arrangement?

I realize that some of these parameters/costs will vary by rental company,
but I'd like to understand in general how the system works there, what
possible "fine print" to be aware of etc. All
comments/suggestions/personal
knowledge and experiences re this stuff appreciated.

RQ