Damage Waiver

When renting a car one always has to consider whether to buy the supplementary insurance. The damage waiver in this case was a no-brainer. We stood a very good chance of returning the car damaged given we had no knowledge of the rules of the road before they handed us the keys. We also had no idea what the condition of the roads would be, and as I noted before, the roads turned out to be extremely dangerous. As predicted, the car was returned with a few scratches.

The first scratch came as a result of hitting an orange traffic cone that someone had put out about a foot into the roadway along the Ring of Kerry. Just as I went to pass the cone, which required that I drive partially in the other lane, a car came in the opposite direction, forcing me to slam on the brakes and swerve back into my lane. This resulted in me running over the traffic cone, completely shattering it, and leaving a nice scuff on the front bumper.

The second bit of damage came as a result of a poor suggestion from the Garmin. I had missed a turn, so Garmin recalculated a route that took me 2 KM down a private dirt road. Why Garmin had any knowledge of this road I have no idea, but it was 90% pot holes and the ruts were so deep that the car risked high-centering as we attempted to get through what was clearly someone’s private property. Not only did we know that we shouldn’t have been there, but so did the German Shepherd that was guarding a private driveway. Upon inching past the dog, it attacked the rear bumper, leaving a bite mark and claw scratch.