Livable City Year

Acknowledgement of Risk / Consent for Emergency Medical Treatment

Students conducting site visits for Livable City Year projects are covered by the university’s Automobile Liability Insurance and General Liability Insurance (see below). However, the UW does not provide Health and Accident Insurance for students conducting site visits. In fact, Washington state law does not allow UW to purchase insurance for students (with the exception of student athletes). 

Therefore, the UW uses an Acknowledgement of Risk form to inform students of the risks involved in participating in educational programs or activities off-campus and to document the decision of participants to assume those risks and to be financially responsible for any medical bills that arise from emergency medical treatment. The university recommends this form for activities that involve travelling more than two hours by car. 

Acknowledgment of Risk Form

Insurance Coverage for Students on Site Visits 

Automobile Liability Insurance 

At the UW, the insurance of the owner of the vehicle covers the vehicle. In practice, this works in the following way: 

  1. If the vehicle is owned by UW (e.g., a UCAR), then UW’s Automobile Liability insurance extends. 
  2. If the vehicle is rented, the insurance offered by the rental company extends. (Note: This means that the department renting the vehicle MUST purchase liability coverage for the vehicle.) 
  3. If the vehicle is a personal vehicle, such as one owned by a student, then the owner’s insurance extends. 

Note: The LCY program does not reimburse students for rental cars or personal vehicles and discourages their use in LCY activities. This ensures that students are fully covered by UW’s Automobile Liability Insurance. 

General Liability Insurance 

General Liability insurance covers third party damages. UW’s General Liability Insurance could potentially extend to the actions of a student that give rise to a third-party liability during a site visit (i.e., the student is operating under the direction of the university). Examples of third party damages this insurance could cover include property damage to a host site or rented facility, injury to a bystander or site employee, and damage to someone else’s vehicle or personal equipment (e.g., while loading/unloading gear). These examples are illustrative, not guarantees of coverage — actual coverage depends on factors like whether the trip was authorized, who was legally at fault, policy exclusions/limits, and whether another policy applies.