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DESPITE THE COURT OF APPEALS RULING THAT THE INSURANCE LAW PROVISION REQUIRING UNINSURED MOTORIST COVERAGE DOES NOT APPLY TO POLICE VEHICLES, PLAINTIFF POLICE OFFICER, INJURED IN AN ACCIDENT WITH AN UNINSURED MOTORIST WHILE DRIVING HIS POLICE VEHICLE, WAS ENTITLED TO UNINSURED MOTORIST COVERAGE UNDER HIS OWN PERSONAL INSURANCE POLICY (SECOND DEPT). ​

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, in a full-fledged opinion by Justice Dowling, determined that a police officer driving a police vehicle involved in an accident with an uninsured driver can seek uninsured motorist (UM/SUM) coverage under the officer’s personal insurance policy, notwithstanding the Court of Appeals ruling that “Insurance Law § 3420(f)—providing that all ‘motor vehicle’ insurance policies must contain uninsured motorist coverage— has no application to police vehicles” … :

In Matter of State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co. v Fitzgerald (25 NY3d 799), the Court of Appeals held that “a police vehicle is not a ‘motor vehicle’ covered by a [supplementary uninsured/underinsured (hereinafter SUM) motorist] endorsement under Insurance Law § 3420(f)(2)(A)” (id. at 801). This appeal requires us to address, for the first time, whether Fitzgerald and Insurance Law § 3420(f)(2)(A) preclude the principal named insured under an automobile insurance liability policy that includes a SUM endorsement from receiving SUM coverage where he or she is injured in an automobile accident with an uninsured motor vehicle while occupying a police vehicle. We conclude that the named insured is not precluded from receiving SUM coverage under those circumstances, and reverse the order appealed from. * * *

… [T]he exclusion of police vehicles from the definition of “motor vehicle” under Insurance Law § 3240(f)(1) and (2) is not determinative of this particular proceeding. Matter of Esurance Ins. Co. v Burdeynyy, 2025 NY Slip Op 00445, Second Dept 1-29-25

Practice Point: Here a police officer driving his police vehicle was involved in an accident with an uninsured motorist. Although insurers of police vehicles are not required to include uninsured motorist coverage, that did not preclude the officer from uninsured motorist coverage under his own personal policy.

 

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