Last year, Leo, a car enthusiast who had already rented a car to drive from Chengdu into and out of Tibet, informed the reporter that although he and his companions both have 10 years of driving experience and have rented cars for self-driving trips to places like Hainan and Hunan, they dare not be careless every time before setting off. Leo said that last year, he contacted several car rental companies more than half a month in advance through introductions from his Chengdu friends and information found online, asking about car models, conditions, and prices, and then selected two companies. After arriving in Chengdu, they specifically spent a day inspecting the condition of the cars at the car rental companies before finally completing all the procedures and hitting the road. "Self-driving with a rented car must never be judged by price alone; it's better to spend more money to choose cars and car rental companies with good condition and guarantees," Leo reminded.
When selecting a car, Old Zhang, who has previously driven solo from Guangzhou to Tibet, advised car enthusiasts to inspect the vehicles based on their own experiences. The inspection should not only include whether the exterior of the car is new and clean but also the car's usage period and mileage already driven. Old Zhang told the reporter: "Some car rental companies will inquire beforehand about the route the car enthusiasts will take. If they feel it's too risky, they generally require an accompanying local driver. If one must be provided, then the qualifications of the driver should also be reviewed."
Multiple checks when renting for assurance
In addition, many self-driving enthusiasts usually travel in groups, so it's best to equip each vehicle with a walkie-talkie to transmit individual situations at any time, allowing for immediate rescue in case of accidents.
Regular car rental companies generally purchase relevant accidental insurance for renters when renting out vehicles. Besides vehicle damage insurance, some are targeted at the safety of the self-driving enthusiasts themselves. These must be purchased. However, it is recommended that renters take a look at this insurance policy, pay attention to leaving evidence, clarify basic information such as the insurance company, claim scope, and policy number. If one feels the premium is too low, it's best to spend their own money to buy additional coverage since self-driving tours, especially on unfamiliar roads, carry relatively higher risks. A single insurance policy generally costs only dozens of yuan but can provide more assurance, making it worthwhile.
On self-driving journeys, poor road conditions, unfamiliarity, and long-distance fatigue driving can easily lead to traffic accidents. Moreover, some rentals require the simultaneous rental of a driver for safety reasons. Taking the example of Shenzhen backpackers flipping their car into a river on the Sichuan-Tibet road, even after passing through the most dangerous sections of the Sichuan-Tibet road, the preliminary police investigation result was that the accident was caused by excessive speed. Therefore, during self-driving trips, always remind the driver to pay attention to the speed limit, whether it's oneself or a friend driving. If someone feels the speed is too fast, don't hesitate out of politeness to speak up; safety should always come first.
Accidental insurance for people and cars needs careful identification
Nowadays, the increasing demand for renting cars for self-driving tours has made the car rental market increasingly prosperous. However, due to lack of standardization, besides larger-scale car rental companies, there are also quite a few car rental companies under various guises such as clubs and car enthusiast associations. For car enthusiasts coming from other places, they usually can only make preliminary selections through network and telephone inquiries as well as word-of-mouth from other car enthusiasts. However, the most important thing is still multiple inspections upon arrival at the destination.
According to the reporter's understanding from several self-driving enthusiasts, generally, when examining car rental companies, one should first verify the credentials of the car rental company, such as the business license, business years, ID card of the legal representative of the car company, etc. It's best to find large chain car rental companies for more credit assurance. In addition, one should be more cautious and not seek convenience by letting the car rental company deliver the car directly to the designated location. Instead, one should not hesitate to go to the office location of the car rental company.
Keep an eye out during the journey
Previously, Shenzhen backpackers encountered a car flip accident while traveling along the Sichuan-Tibet line, resulting in two backpackers missing and two seriously injured. One survivor later published a life memoir on a forum, which was indeed heart-wrenching. It was understood that these Shenzhen backpackers rented cars locally in Sichuan and hired local drivers to drive them along the Sichuan-Tibet line to Lhasa. After the incident, the travel company that rented them the car could no longer be contacted, and it was only then discovered that the company was just an intermediary, making it impossible to recover any losses. Nowadays, more and more backpackers rent cars for self-driving tours, and to prevent such tragedies from happening again, besides carefully selecting car rental companies, one must remain vigilant throughout the journey.
Many people have the habit of buying insurance, but many believe that the personal accident insurance they normally buy means they don't need to buy travel accident insurance when traveling. In fact, some accident insurances do not necessarily include content related to self-driving tours. Therefore, before setting off, it's best to carefully check if the insurance policy includes such provisions.
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