Between 1989 and 1998, NBC’s hit show “Seinfeld” dispensed volumes of pretty much useless knowledge, and with the magic of DVDs and syndication, our society is still soaking up marginally useful information from all the little social lessons embedded in each show. We’ve already discussed the shows’ lessons about the need to read your rental contract and the perils of faking a car theft in order to catch the end of a ball game. Today, we’re going to discuss what “The Handicap Spot” episode can teach us about insurance.
It’s episode 62. George is driving Jerry, Elaine, and Kramer to the mall to get a wedding present for their friend “the Drake.” But alas, there’s not a spot to be found. “Why don’t you take a handicap spot?” Kramer suggests. George ultimately caves and does so, despite not having a handicap sticker.
When they come out of the mall, there’s an angry mob surrounding the car that’s furious over the fact that a handicapped woman who had needed the spot couldn’t use it, had to go up an incline, started rolling back when her batteries gave out, crashed into a wall, and had to be taken to the hospital. “We’re just waiting for the owner of this car to show up. May not get out alive,” a member of the mob tells Jerry. “Thug! Taking up a handicap spot? He’s gonna pay!”
While the gang of four hide out in a nearby restaurant, the mob tears apart the car, which belongs to George’s father, Frank. After Jerry and company have come out from hiding and found the carnage that was previously Frank’s Mercury Monarch, we see George back at home getting slapped in the forehead by his father, who informs him, “You know, my insurance doesn’t cover this? The whole thing is a total loss!”
So why was George’s mistake a total loss for poor Frank? Since it seems unlikely that Frank’s insurance company is denying his claim simply because George maliciously parked in the handicap spot and therefore had it coming to him, we can assume that the reason the damage isn’t covered is that Frank hadn’t purchased comprehensive insurance.
Comprehensive is the only type of coverage that will compensate the policyholder for damages caused by vandals (or an angry mob). It basically covers all damages to the insured car that weren’t caused by a collision within another car or piece of property. That includes theft, collisions with animals, damages caused by weather events, fire, and vandalism.
Car owners are not required by law to have it included in their insurance policy, so if you simply assume that you’re covered for such damages, you may want to take a second look at your coverage. If you’re driving a relatively new, financed vehicle, or if it’s leased, chances are that your lender required you to purchase it. Comprehensive will be one of the more expensive parts of a policy, depending on the type of car you drive, but conducting a thorough auto insurance comparison and adjusting deductibles will likely help you get an affordable rate.
Bottom Line: Make sure to have comprehensive coverage if you are planning on making people hate you so much that they can’t help but vandalize your property.
