Auto Insurance Fears Scare Off Volunteers

2011-07-13T14:33:00.000-04:00

In an article at NorthJersey.com "Volunteer drivers scared off by insurance worries," columnist Harvy Lipman describes legislation being co-sponsored "by a pair of North Jersey lawmakers," to "protect volunteer drivers at charities from having their auto insurance rates raised because of their volunteer work, while also limiting their liability in case of an accident." Though there is no evidence insurance rates go up when volunteers use their own vehicles to do good works...such as transporting seniors to medical appointments...some volunteers are concerned about this, and it is stopping some people from volunteering as drivers...creating a problem for nonprofits. Here's the comment I left on Harvy's blog:

"Actually, this does sound like a good idea to me...not because the problem of increased insurance rates is real...but because the fear that it is real is stopping people from doing much-needed work. If the law helps to change inaccurate perceptions, and leads to increased acts of volunteerism, it will be worth the effort."

Tell me...what do YOU think?

Volunteering Enriches Our Lives

2011-03-30T16:27:00.001-04:00

Woodrow Wilson once said, "You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and to impoverish yourself if you forget the errand." Was he right? Let's talk about it.

Association of New Jersey Volunteer Centers

Auto Insurance Fears Scare Off Volunteers

Volunteering Enriches Our Lives