The tips and tricks you need to know about carpooling

This article is Sponsored Content by On The Map Marketing

Carpooling can be an excellent solution for parents who have kids in school or go to after-school activities. It can also help people who work at the same office. Carpooling allows everyone to share the load while saving money on parking and gas.

Whether you’re starting a carpool for the kids or coworkers, these tips and tricks will help the process go more smoothly.

Pick the Right Passengers

While this may not be the case if you’re running a neighborhood carpool for school, you should pick the right passengers for work carpools. Carpooling will allow you to socialize to a degree and you should be able to get along with the people in your car, sharing the joys of being stuck in traffic together.

It might not always be possible, which is why it’s best to go in with an open mind. You may just find that you have more in common with the coworkers who live near you than you think!

Keep Up With Vehicle Maintenance

Even if you’re not in a carpool, vehicle maintenance is important for your safety on the road. With added passengers, you’ll want to be sure your brakes and tires are in good condition.

Be Punctual

A carpool won’t work if you’re always late. Make sure you get out of the door on time and plan ahead for any evenings that you may be staying later than usual at the office.

Know What to Do If You Have an Accident While Carpooling

No matter how cautious you are, you may end up in an accident while shuttling your carpool passengers to school or work. Florida’s no-fault insurance laws mean that every driver is required to have personal injury protection (PIP). This coverage can take care of medical expenses and lost wages up to a limit and is provided regardless of who was at fault.

If you are in an accident while driving your coworkers to work, each passenger’s PIP insurance should cover their medical expenses and lost wages. However, you might be wondering how that works if the passengers in the carpool are all children who are too young to drive and do not have their own PIP coverage.

The driver of the vehicle’s PIP insurance should be enough to cover minor damages to any children in the vehicle at the time of the crash. But if the injuries are serious, you should discuss your legal options with an experienced accident attorney.

While Florida’s no-fault policies are designed to prevent frivolous lawsuits, the laws allow you to sue for any damages that go beyond the PIP coverage. This would allow you to pursue compensation for medical expenses, your current and future lost wages, mental anguish, and other losses.

Car accidents can be confusing even when you’re the only person in your vehicle. When you’re carpooling, the confusion can increase, which is all the more reason to discuss the particulars of your situation with an attorney to figure out what to do next.