If you are traveling for business or pleasure and are not driving your own car, you will probably need to use a ridesharing app., take a taxi/cab, or rent a car and drive yourself. If you will only need transportation to and from the airport and a few short rides during your stay, you may decide the convenience and cost-effectiveness of ridesharing apps. are the best option. But if you plan to travel longer distances from your original destination, it may be more convenient and cost-effective to rent a car.

If you rent a car, you will be required to sign a rental agreement—which is a legal contract that includes some important terms and decisions for you to make related to your use of the car and your responsibility for any damage to it. One of the most important decisions is whether to purchase the insurance offered by the car rental agency, or to rely on coverage from the insurance policy you may have on your own car.

The insurance offered by the car rental agency is usually called collision damage waiver (CDW) or loss damage waiver (LDW)—and it is not really insurance—it is the car rental agency’s waiver of any claims against you if the car is damaged. This will generally mean the car rental agency is not able to seek recovery of damages from you (or your personal auto insurer) if the rental car is damaged. But as with all forms of insurance or waiver of rights, this waiver of your responsibility is subject to the language of the CDW/LDW insurance policy and the specific circumstances of any accident or damage.

In New York, when you rent a car, you will enter into a rental agreement which is a binding legal contract. This contract outlines the terms of your use of the vehicle and your responsibilities, including what happens if the car is damaged. You will have to decide whether to purchase a Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) or Loss Damage Waiver (LDW) from the rental agency. While often referred to as insurance, CDW/LDW is actually the rental company's agreement not to pursue you for damages if the rental car is damaged. This means that the rental agency waives its right to recover the cost of damages from you or your personal auto insurance policy. However, the protection you receive from CDW/LDW is contingent on the specific terms of the waiver and the details of any incident that causes damage to the vehicle. It's important to read and understand the rental agreement and the CDW/LDW policy before deciding whether to rely on it or to depend on your own auto insurance for coverage.