A security company in Ocala adds mobile patrol to its services after a property manager asks for nightly checks on six apartment communities spread across Marion County. The owner buys two used SUVs, adds light bars and company markings, and assigns officers to drive the route between midnight and six. He also hands a golf cart to the officer at a gated community so she can cover the back gates. A few weeks later, his insurance agent asks how many vehicles the company owns, who drives them and whether officers ever use their own cars on patrol. The owner realizes he has never thought of his security company as having an auto exposure, and that his general liability policy probably does not cover any of it.
Patrol vehicles change the risk profile of a security company. Once officers are driving between sites, responding to alarms or covering large properties on wheels, the company has an exposure that its general liability policy was not designed to handle.
Why General Liability Does Not Cover Patrol Vehicles
General liability policies exclude bodily injury and property damage arising from the ownership, maintenance or use of autos. That exclusion is what keeps general liability and commercial auto separate, and it applies to a security company’s patrol cars just as it does to a contractor’s work trucks. If an officer on patrol runs a stop sign and injures another driver, the claim belongs on a commercial auto policy, not the general liability policy.
Some vehicles fall in between. Golf carts, utility vehicles and ATVs used only on a client’s property may be treated as mobile equipment under some general liability policies, while others are excluded or need to be scheduled on an auto policy. How these vehicles are classified depends on the policy wording and on whether they are ever driven on public roads. A company that uses carts or ATVs on client property should ask exactly which policy covers them.
Company-Owned Patrol Vehicles
Vehicles owned or leased by the security company belong on a commercial auto policy. That policy should provide liability coverage at limits that match client contracts, uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage where elected, personal injury protection as required in Florida, and physical damage coverage for the vehicles themselves. Patrol vehicles often carry light bars, cameras, radios and other equipment, and that equipment may need to be declared or covered by endorsement, since not every policy automatically includes added equipment at its full value.
Carriers will want to know how the vehicles are used. A car that drives a regular route through several properties each night has a different exposure from a car that sits at a single post. Alarm response, where officers may drive quickly to a call, adds risk as well. Accurate descriptions of the operation help avoid problems at claim time.
Markings and Lights
Patrol vehicles usually carry company markings and often have amber or other warning lights. Florida regulates vehicle lighting, and private security vehicles cannot be equipped or marked in a way that makes them look like law enforcement vehicles. Companies should confirm what lighting and markings are allowed for their vehicles under current Florida law and their licensing requirements before installing equipment. From an insurance standpoint, improper equipment can complicate a claim, and the insurer should know the vehicles are marked and equipped for patrol.
Officers Using Their Own Vehicles
Many security companies, especially smaller ones, ask officers to drive their own cars between posts, to a client site for a relief shift or on short patrol routes. When an officer causes an accident while working, the officer’s personal auto policy generally responds first, but the injured party can also pursue the security company. Personal policies may also exclude or limit coverage when a car is used for business purposes, which can leave both the officer and the company exposed.
Hired and non-owned auto liability protects the company when employees drive vehicles the company does not own on company business. It is often added to the general liability policy or written with the commercial auto policy. Companies that let officers drive personal vehicles for work should also set clear rules about when that is allowed and require proof of personal auto insurance. Our article on hired and non-owned auto insurance explains how the coverage works.
Drivers and Motor Vehicle Records
Underwriters price a commercial auto policy largely on the drivers. Before assigning an officer to a patrol vehicle, the company should review the officer’s motor vehicle record and make sure the carrier has approved the driver. Officers with recent serious violations, multiple accidents or suspended licenses may be excluded or may push the premium up for the whole fleet.
A written driver policy helps. It should cover who may drive company vehicles, how often records are checked, rules about phone use and speed, what officers should do after an accident and whether passengers are allowed. Many security companies work overnight shifts, and fatigue is a real factor in patrol accidents, so scheduling matters as well.
Client Contract Requirements
Property managers, HOAs and commercial clients that hire mobile patrol often add auto requirements to their contracts. They may ask for specific auto liability limits, additional insured status on the auto policy, a waiver of subrogation and proof of hired and non-owned coverage. As with general liability, the certificate can only reflect what the policy actually includes, so these requirements should be checked against the policy before the contract is signed.
Clients may also ask the company to cover golf carts or utility vehicles the client owns and lends to the officer. That arrangement should be spelled out in the contract, including who insures the vehicle, who is responsible for damage to it and whether the company’s policy covers its officers while driving it.
Physical Damage and Equipment
Patrol vehicles are often driven many miles each night and parked at client sites, where they can be vandalized or damaged. Collision and comprehensive coverage protect the company’s investment in the vehicles, and the deductible should reflect what the company can absorb. Cameras, laptops, radios and other equipment carried in the vehicle may need separate coverage under an inland marine or business property policy if the auto policy does not cover them.
Umbrella Coverage
An auto accident is one of the most likely ways a security company can face a claim larger than its primary limits. An umbrella policy over the commercial auto, general liability and employer’s liability policies provides additional protection, and many client contracts require one. Our overview of security guard insurance explains how the auto, liability and umbrella policies work together.
Worth Confirming With Your Agent
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Whether every company-owned or leased patrol vehicle is listed on a commercial auto policy
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How golf carts, utility vehicles and ATVs used on client property are covered
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Whether you carry hired and non-owned auto for officers using their own cars
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Whether added equipment such as light bars, cameras and radios is covered
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Which officers are approved drivers, and how often their records are checked
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Whether client contracts require auto limits, additional insured status or a waiver of subrogation that your policy provides
This article is general information and is not legal advice.
Talk to Prestige Insurance Group
Prestige Insurance Group works with Florida security companies adding mobile patrol, alarm response and on-site vehicles to their services. If you are buying patrol vehicles, letting officers drive their own cars or signing contracts with auto requirements, we can review your operation and make sure your auto and liability coverage line up.
Call the office nearest you. Se habla español.
Orlando: 407-993-2331
Miami: 305-969-8776
Stuart: 772-247-3788
Prestige Insurance Group, License L057894
