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 Oregon, when you rent a car, you will enter into a rental agreement, which is a binding legal contract. This agreement outlines the terms of your use of the vehicle and your responsibilities regarding any potential damage. A key decision you'll face is whether to opt for the insurance provided by the rental company, commonly known as a collision damage waiver (CDW) or loss damage waiver (LDW). This is not traditional insurance but rather a waiver by the rental agency of the right to pursue you for damages if the rental car is damaged during your rental period. Accepting the CDW/LDW means that the rental company typically cannot seek compensation from you or your personal auto insurance policy for damages to the vehicle, subject to the terms of the waiver and the specifics of any incident. It's important to carefully review the waiver's terms and consider how it aligns with your existing auto insurance coverage before making a decision.