car rental and Libality Insurance for self..

Do you mean that, if you are injured in a car accident, what coverage will you, personally, have? The answer is....none. Liability insurance is aimed at settling any debts or claims another party may have against you if you are involved in an accident, or damage is caused to the vehicle while it's under your control. For "liability" for yourself, you need medical insurance, including evacuation back to the states if you're hurt badly enough that you can't fly. I would double-check the Access America policy....these "trip cancellation" policies usually only cover repaying you if you have to cancel or end your trip early because of an accident. Even if it is medical insurance (which I doubt,) you can go through $10,000 pretty quickly if you're hospitalized for any length of time.

Good advice from Norm, it deserves to be read carefully.

Thanks again Norm-You really helped clear up the differences between CDW and Liability. As I'm looking at my VISA "auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver Program" under what is NOT COVERED, its there in print, "does not cover injury of anyone or damage to anything inside or outside the rental vehicle." or "Personal liability". Each VISA card may read different, but mine reads as stated above. So.....I guess I will suck up the difference in price and go with what they offer!! Know of any auto rental agency other than HERTZ in the Tours area of France?

Thanks again for being so informed. It helped.
sharon

Thank you Norm for this imformation. I did check with Access America and I do indeed have the medical part which covers $10,000 accident and $50,000 evacuation coverage. However, do you feel its just easier to accept their coverage and be done with it? If I decline their CDW will they offer me a some kind of liability coverage? ugggggggg

Also thanks Ken....

sk

Let's make sure we're talking about the same thing here. CDW is a fee (sometimes covered by your credit card) to pay for any damages to the car. There is usually a deductible as well, and they will likely put a hold on your Visa for that amount, which could be $1000 or more. You can opt to take "Super CDW", bringing the deductible down to zero....but that is usually NOT covered by your credit card, and may not be offered if you decline the rental firm's CDW to use your credit card coverage instead.
Liability insurance coverage, to pay someone who may sue you for injuries or damage in an accident, is usually part of your rental agreement...check with your rental firm to see how much they offer ($1 million seems to be the standard these days.)
As for the Visa provision that doesn't cover people inside the vehicle...that sounds a little odd. Any passenger who, for example, was hurt in a car accident could go after you as a third party. I would definitely check with Visa about this.
As for your health coverage...again, Access America may only cover ACCIDENTS....not illnesses...and that leaves a gaping hole in your insurance coverage. And I'm not sure I would travel with just $10,000 for medical bills.
Personally, I ignore credit card CDW coverage since I like taking the Super CDW to reduce my exposure to Zero dollars. And I can never seem to get a straight answer from them as to what it covers and what it doesn't....at least it's all spelled out in your rental agreement.
And as for health insurance, I make sure I'm covered for EVERY eventuality...for the relatively small cost, it gives me peace of mind.