Where’s the ‘dumb tourist’ clause?

I had been driving all day, and now it was dark. I had rented a car in Phoenix and was heading across the border to Kino Bay on the Gulf of California in the Mexican state of Sonora.

Tired and impatient to get to a motel, I was going too fast on an unpaved, shoulderless highway detour just outside Hermosillo. A big four-wheeler roared past in the opposite direction just as a cow stepped onto my side of the road. I couldn’t swerve into oncoming traffic, so I hit the animal. Much to my relief, the cow walked away from the crash without a moo, but it put a huge dent in the front right fender of the SUV.

That was the worst but not the only accident I’ve had with rental cars in my travels. Another time in the Yucatan, a Mexican driver hit my rented Volkswagen, though when I finally collected the police report -- required for an insurance claim -- it said I hit him.

I had a fender-bender with a truck in Jamaica, and destroyed a side-view mirror on a narrow lane bordered by picturesque but obstructive hedgerows in rural England.

Incidents like these used to upset me, partly because I didn’t own a car when most of them happened and didn’t have personal auto insurance, which often -- but not always -- covers policyholders for rental car accidents in foreign countries. I relied on the auto insurance that came with my credit cards.

But to make a claim on them required onerous paperwork, I found, and the cards covered damage to a rental but not to another vehicle, which worried me.

Now I rest easier, having decided that you can’t drive rental vehicles in unfamiliar places without hitting the occasional cow.

I started routinely taking out the full auto insurance package when renting, which can be expensive. On my recent trip to Mexico, I rented a big SUV for off-road explorations from Dollar Rent a Car in Phoenix, one of the few agencies that allows its vehicles across the border. The collision damage waiver and liability cost more than $50 a day, and I also had to buy Mexican insurance for about $25 a day, which is obligatory for U.S. drivers there.

Given the price, some renters say no to insurance from rental agencies. But the expense was worth it to me in Mexico, especially because I no longer have personal auto insurance (because I no longer have a car). When I returned the vehicle to Dollar, I filled out one form and, like the cow, walked away from the accident.

Mike Nelson, author of “Live Better South of the Border in Mexico,” thought I was joking when I told him I hit a cow while driving at night in Sonora, which is a classic, stupid, gringo mistake. Despite his vast experience on the roads of Mexico, Nelson totaled his old Ford Bronco there. And he almost hit a cow while testing the Mexican theory that you see better at night without headlights. “It is a falsehood,” he said of the theory.

Charles Nelson, founder of Nelson Insurance Agency in McAllen, Texas, which specializes in covering American drivers south of the border, said I was lucky not to have hit another vehicle or a pedestrian and that it was a good thing the cow was unharmed, because otherwise I’d be the owner of a lot of steak.

Americans who have personal auto insurance should check before they leave home to make sure they are covered for vacation car rentals, Nelson said. Some personal auto policies don’t handle rental car accidents or liability abroad. And credit card coverage has limitations. For instance, my American Express gold card pays for repairs only if the damaged vehicle has been rented on the card; my Signature Visa doesn’t cover rentals in Israel, Jamaica and Ireland; and my corporate American Express card carries no auto rental coverage.

Driving in developing nations is especially dangerous; 70% of auto accident deaths occur in the Third World, according to the U.S. State Department.

Mexico is a special problem in that regard. Road conditions are inconsistent, and Americans who drive there often seem oblivious to the dangers of driving in a foreign country. For them, the chief causes of accidents are the lack of familiarity with their rental vehicles, speeding and driving under the influence.

Nevertheless, American drivers with comprehensive Mexican auto insurance from an established provider can expect payment on claims, Nelson told me. Handling accidents and processing claims can be efficient in Mexico, especially if U.S. drivers seek out policies that include road and legal services.

Mariana Field Hoppin, a spokeswoman for Avis, said the best way to avoid accidents on the road is never to drive at night in unfamiliar territory and to take out collision damage waiver insurance, which means you won’t be financially responsible if your rental is damaged. She also suggests carrying a mobile phone so you can call the police and your rental agency in case of an accident.

About 1.17 million deaths occur every year around the world as a result of road accidents. AAA estimates that 200 of those are Americans in foreign countries.

If you log on to the State Department website -- www.state.gov -- you can find out whether it’s safe to drive in Mexico or Romania.

Better yet, go to www.asirt.org, the Assn. for Safe International Road Travel, for a description of road conditions at your destination.

Before you rent, log on to the ASIRT website, check with your auto insurance agent and consider paying for complete coverage upfront at the rental agency. If nothing else, think of the cow.

Susan Spano also writes “Postcards From Paris,” which can be read at latimes.com/susanspano.