MutV On Playa Insurance

[Gano]

What are folks doing for this?

Last year we went with a burner group connected with lloyds of london, but they are no longer offering Playa insurance...

-Gano

The Tree House
https://www.facebook.com/TheArtCar

[Captain Goddammit]

I'll admit I haven't specifically clarified it with my agent but I carry "broadform" insurance that covers me for liability in any vehicle I drive. At least in theory, that should include my M/V.

[trilobyte]

I'm giving this a nudge over to the transportation board, since that's a better fit for general preparation discussions.

You should be able to get insurance through most auto insurance providers, and possibly any company that offers event production insurance - contact your agent and start explaining in terms they can understand. Make sure to call out that it's for a special event/event production, the duration of the event, the speed limit, additional safety steps you're taking (spotters, etc). There's enough information available online about Burning Man that their folks at the home office can do some fact-checking, you may also want to give them links to the Afterburn reports if they want or need to check into additional statistics. Good luck!

[The Rod]

Parade float insurance is a thing. That's a pretty easy way to describe to an insurance person what a MV is...

[Gano]

Thanks for the advice.

We've been trying a number of companies and mentioning the "float" and "special event" angle but have had no luck so far.

We also are not able to get normal road insurance as our bus's commercial inspection has expired. Thus we have a greater impetus to get at least SOME kind of insurance.

[Captain Goddammit]

I'm not an insurance expert I'm just think-tanking a little - does your MV have a halfway intact "base vehicle"? Can you just insure that, and try to pour over the contract terms and see if you specifically violate any of them by adding a few lights and laser cannons and dance floors?

[ranger magnum]

Most home owner insurance offers umbrella policies that may cover an mv.

[meow57]

These umbrella policies do not usually cover something like an MV, especially is it's not owned personally. You might find out after you need the coverage that you really do not have it.

[Tanzremix]

That's the concern, there really doesn't seem to be a way to have everything aboveboard. I don't understand how so many MVs are either pulling it off and saying nothing, or are just rolling lawsuit targets waiting for a screwup. Also I don't understand how there isn't help navigating the process for the huge number of art cars (or art project, or camps) out there but that's another issue beyond the immediate.

[stevko]

re: umbrella insurance
Umbrella insurance is a secondary liability insurance that only kicks in if the primary liability insurance is $250,000 or higher (typically).
That means that if your basic liability insurance does not cross that threshold - you are stuck with the overage.

re: mutant vehicle insurance
I found one agent/broker that would quoted liability insurance for my theme camp, box truck (6 months), and art car for about $350 each with a min of $300k so my umbrella policy could kick in.
The carrier was Progressive. PM me for details - just read the fine print and watch your wallet.
I think the key terms are "Off road vehicle liability" for the art car and special event "vendor" for the theme camp.

[Captain Goddammit]

A vehicle with no registered owner would seem to be a gray area in all sorts of ways.