The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-09-03

the owner of a motor vehicle used for the transportation of persons flor hire" Iu-t carry public service vehicle insurance. This require ment prevails whatever the form of payment has been arranged between owner of the car and those whom he transports. Aside from the pro- lection which such car owner should extend to his passengers, there Is a plain violation of the state law when a car owner uses, or permits the use of, his vehicle to transport paying passengers without securing the proper Public Service Registration which carries with 1t the proper liability limits ensuring indemnification for his passengers in the event of an accident.
 In practically all the automobile insurance policies on pleasure cars there is a provision that the policy does not apply while the automo- bile is used in the business of der1- onstration or testing, or as @ public or livery conveyance or for carry ing persons for Q consideration, whether this consideration is ex- pressed or implied. This means that the driver of the car or the owner may think he has Insurance cover ing the situation where 1t does not in fact cover, in which event he might be faced with a definite judg- lnent against him in a lawsuit when his passengers were carried for hire, and the insurance company would not have to indemnify him for the loss.
 No Indemniflcatio
 There is also an angle of great personal interest to individuals who are paying some friend to afford them convenient transportation to and from work. It is easy to assume Q case. Suppose John Doe of Bristol is carrying four friends to and from Hartford daily. Through 6 plan of evasion, John Doe and his friends assume they have an air-tight case to protect said John Doe from prose- cution by the law for illegal use of his registration. Let us assume this is so, that the law cannot reach MT. Doe and his friends continue to enjoy convenient and, presumably, economical transportation to and from their homes and places of eIn- ployment. MT. Doe may, and may not, have his car covered for public liability. The chances are just as great that he has not provided in- surance as that he has. MT. Doe be. comes involved in a serious accident (thiS is a daily occurrence on our highways somewhere in the state) and several. if not all, of his pas- sengerS suffer injuries. They insti- ute suit onl to discover that the insurance, if any, does not apply to the case. They receive no indemni- fication. If the car had been regis- tered properly and reasonable cov- craze provided as required by law, all of those injured would have been indemnified. This angle is Q most important one for all persons to considerable owner of the car which is being used illegally for the trans portation of passengers who pay, ii1 some form or other, for the service and for the passengers themselves who are apt to discover that what they thought was Q mutually profit. able arrangement turns out to be q total loss.
 The repeal of the guest law" so- called has invited attention again to the practice of motorists transport- ing friends and this statement by Commissioner Michael A. Connor was planned to remind car owners of tho legal requirements regarding proper registration and proper in- surance coverage, as well as to re- mind the public of the need to as- sure themselves that any vehicle in which they are passengers should be insured for reasonable limits in or- der to guarantee indemnihcation in l case of accident.