Originally Posted by
direwoof
I guess I was just looking at is as "why would someone pay for the LIS when there is already liability", especially in someplace like manhattan where the majority of traffic moves very slowly.
That really depends on how much you have to lose. An accident at 25mph could still result in thousands or tens of thousands of dollars in damage to another vehicle. Hitting a pedestrian while going 10mph could still generate tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills, or, in the event or serious long-term injury or death, hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars in potential liability.
Also, people renting cars in Manhattan are rarely renting them to drive around in Manhattan, they're usually used to get off the island.
Out of curiosity, why are you renting a car on your visit to NYC? Unless you're going someplace significantly outside the city, having a car is more of a burden than a benefit.