Your personal car insurance policy may not cover your tour van.
Picture this: you are on tour somewhere between Detroit and Chicago when suddenly you hit a patch of ice and slam into the car in front of you, the van is mangled and absolutely totaled. As you stand in the cold on your phone giving the details of the accident to your auto insurance rep you hear the bad news, “Your personal policy likely won’t cover this.”
Auto insurance companies offer many different kinds of policies, and most everyday drivers have policies that only cover their normal personal driving. And now with the proliferation of ride sharing services and fly-by-night delivery drivers, car insurance companies are starting to examine more closely the true usage of a vehicle when the policy is used. Since your band is a commercial venture (whether it feels like it all the time or not), you too could fall into the trap of thinking you are covered only to find out after the fact that your insurance company won’t pay.
So while it may cost more on the front end, getting your band (and precious van) set-up with the proper commercial policy can be a life-saver. Insurance is just one of many issues to discuss with your attorney when properly setting up your band for success. Third parties will always treat your band like a business, so you should too.
Now please enjoy this photo of me standing on a tour van in the year 2009.
If you want to use this blog post or quote it that is totally cool! Just please give me credit and a link to my website. http://www.mantheiylaw.com
Kurt Mantheiy is a Dallas, TX based attorney and musician.
