Does this RAC Legal product cover defending civil claims?

[tele_lover]

This was originally intended to ask if a particular RAC product offered protection against civil motor claims (personal injury).

It didn't.

I've changed this post to be more general and ask:

This is the wording in a motor insurance legal cover I am looking at:

QuoteMeHappy said:

"We will pay the legal costs of any legal representative we agree to, to defend any persons insured at a coroner’s inquest or fatal accident inquiry or in any proceedings brought under the Road Traffic Acts"

Are civil/personal injury claims brought under the Road Traffic Acts?

Edited by tele_lover on Thursday 24th August 00:38

[Panamax]

tele_lover said:

Does this cover defending against a civil matter, like someone pursuing you through civil court for personal injury claim?

It appears not, but that's what your mainstream car insurance policy covers.

It's notable that you aren't covered if an accident is your fault - which presumably means half of them. And they won't pay out if they decide you have have less than a 51% chance of winning.

All in all it looks pretty thin, but what's the premium? Probably not much. And it definitely gives some cover for things that wouldn't fall within your normal car insurance, like defending a prosecution.

[SydneyBridge]

Does not look like it
Do you not have any insurance to pay a personal injury claim being made against you?

[KungFuPanda]

Why has the OP edited his question so it doesn’t make sense?!?!

[tele_lover]

KungFuPanda said:

Why has the OP edited his question so it doesn’t make sense?!?!

I've edited it to explain.

It seemed a bit silly creating a second thread for a question 99% similar to this one.

[Panamax]

tele_lover said:

Are civil/personal injury claims brought under the Road Traffic Acts?

They can often arise under a common law "duty of care". At the end of the day use of a motor vehicle is just one of many ways you can injure someone else through error.

Typically your home insurance may include "legal liability to third parties" but will typically exclude any damage/injury caused through use of a motor vehicle. They expect you to have motor insurance to cover that sort of thing.

As per my earlier post, liability for damage/injury caused through use of a motor vehicle should be covered through your main motor insurance policy so is outside the scope of separate "motor legal" cover.

The bottom line is you can't rely on "motor legal" protection to provide cover against damage/injury to third parties if, for instance, you're driving someone else's car without proper motor insurance.