Winter is a hard season for most drivers... and rental cars aren't an exception

It's that time of year again when the white stuff falls from the sky and does not immediately melt. For those who live in the cities, this is the signal of additional troubles. Although you have always been able to drive in snow and on ice, the majority of other road users act like learner drivers when freezing temperatures set in, skating around the white tops like their vehicles are on a permanent collision course with you or the nearest solid object. Naturally, you do all the maintenance things you are supposed to do and give yourself the best chance of staying out of trouble. But you just wish it was all over. But for a small percentage of the population, this is a signal for the start of excitement and celebration. These are the folk who head off for the nearest ski slopes whenever the nearest resorts start confirming enough snow of the right type.

It's at this point we have to draw a line in the snow. On one side, we have all the people who have to go out in the snow to drive to work or as work. For all these people, winter driving is just one of the things you have to get through. As a matter of routine, the anti-freeze liquid to keep the windshield free of ice is topped up, the tires are checked regularly, there are emergency supplies in the trunk, and so on. More importantly, everyone has thought carefully about their auto insurance. When the risks of a collision or damage from more extreme weather are at their highest, you think about adding a margin of safety on to your liability cover and check the values on the collision and comprehensive policies. But on the other side of the line are the drivers who can only think of getting to the slopes to begin skiing or boarding or sledding or whatever they propose doing. If their vehicles are already in prime condition, it's just more of the same and the journeys will be as safe as around town. But if you are coming from an area where there's no snow on the ground or you are proposing to rent when you fly into the area, what precautions did you take?

Let's say you are going to rent, what did you tell the car rental companies you asked for quotes? Did you tell them you are proposing to drive into areas where there's heavy snow? At the very least, this should prompt a very serious examination of your insurance situation. If you slide off the road and hit a tree, or your carefully parked car is swept away in an avalanche, will your existing auto insurance cover pay out on all the claims you will face for loss of the rental vehicle (including claims for loss of use and last profit)? If not, you will need to pay for additional cover from the car rental companies you decide to use.