Insurance, Motor Vehicles

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and text do not provide additional details beyond the prohibition of requiring commercial insurance for visually impaired individuals under certain conditions. The exact impact on insurance companies and affected individuals is limited by the provided information.

Insurance for Visually Impaired Vehicle Owners

This bill stops insurance companies from forcing visually impaired car owners to buy commercial vehicle insurance if their cars are not used for business purposes.

What This Bill Does

• Prohibits insurance companies from requiring visually impaired individuals who own motor vehicles to obtain a commercial motor vehicle liability policy instead of a standard owner's policy, provided the covered vehicle is not used for commercial purposes.

Who It Names or Affects

• Visually impaired car owners in Tennessee
• Insurance companies providing motor vehicle insurance

Terms To Know

Commercial purposes

Does not include paying or otherwise employing a driver to operate the visually impaired owner's personal motor vehicle on behalf of or for the benefit of such owner in a manner that would be considered a personal use.

Visually impaired

Blind or partially blind

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill only applies to policies entered into or renewed after July 1, 2025.
• It does not change the insurance requirements for vehicles used for commercial purposes.

Official Summary Text

For policies entered into or renewed on or after July 1, 2025, this bill prohibits a blind or partially blind
owner of a motor vehicle
from
be
ing
required to obtain a commercial motor vehicle li
ability policy in lieu of a standard owner's policy of liability insurance
,
if the covered motor vehicle is not used for commercial purposes.
As used in
this
bill,
"
c
ommercial purposes" does not include paying or otherwise employing a driver to operate a
blind or partially blind
owner's personal motor vehicle on behalf of or for the benefit of
such
owner in a manner that would be considered a personal use
.

Current Bill Text

SENATE BILL 284
By Watson

HOUSE BILL 28
By Hale

HB0028
000019
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 55,
Chapter 12, relative to motor vehicle liability
policies.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 55, Chapter 12, Part 1, is amended by
adding the following as a new section:
(a) A visually impaired owner of a motor vehicle shall not be required to obtain a
commercial motor vehicle liability policy in lieu of a standard owner's policy of liability
insurance if the covered motor vehicle is not used for commercial purposes.
(b) For purposes of this section:
(1) "Commercial purposes" does not include paying or otherwise
employing a driver to operate a visually impaired owner's personal motor vehicle
on behalf of or for the benefit of the visually impaired owner in a manner that
would be considered a personal use; and
(2) "Visually impaired" means blind or partially blind.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it, and
applies to policies entered into or renewed on or after that date.