Hon. Tohn Osorio, Chairnun Opinion No. w-63
Board of Insurance Comlesioners
Internatioml Life Building Re: whether the contract of
Austin, Texas Union Automobile Club aud
others s3nI.ll.mthereto
conatitutr contraetr of
insurance IO that the ir- ‘.
aueace audmlethereof
would viol&e the Texas *
Dear Sir: ldumnce lawa.
You’have requested au opinion an to whether the contracts
attached to your opinipn request of Jeuuary 2p, 1957, and similar
contracts, constitute contracts of insurance so that the iNuance
and sale thereof would violate the Texan insur8nce laws. .‘.
You have enclosed with your opinion request numeroue con-
tracts and related membership documents iaeued by Metropolitan Auto-
mobile Club, Inc. (MAC); Accidental International AutomblL Aaro-
ciation of Texas, Inc. (AIAA); Ths Union Automobile Club (Union))
snd Motor Aid Automobile Associ&ion Club (Motor Aid). This opinion
J..cbased sol.ely upon the documsnts submitted. We expreslly decline
to ml? upon documents Vhlch have not been submitted for exaalmtion.
Soins of the benefits provided my be sumnarieed In the
following mer:
. Motor Aid
MACMembership Union Menibership ~ Membership
Certificate Certificate ’ Certificate
1. Emergency road eerv- 1. Nmermcy road 5. Towing
ice costs paid: . . service upon occur- aervlce .
(i) start car ‘if1 mace of any type of
stalled; nmchinicil trouble 11. Nmer-
(b) Tire change In of emergency nature mncy road
ease of-flat;~ which prevents mea- narvice.
(c) Nmergen~p&iv- . her’s automobile
efy of gaou.ne, oil, from operating.
battery or rental batteryi 1 2. Towing3ervlce
(d) Towing and where automobile
wrecket servicej fails to operke as l
( e ) Key r er vic eto r esu ltof mechanical
u nlo c kdo o m a nd lg nltio n; failure or bre&&nm.
(f) Rei&ur+mnt 3. Tir e c h a ng e
ler v-
wh e n a er vic ea
r ender edwh e r e ic ewh e r emsmber h a r
M AC r er vic ano t available. mm.
,
.,,
Hon. John Osorlo, page 2 (w-63)
The questions raised in your opinioh request were disposed
of by National Auto Service Corporation v. State, 55 S.W.2d 209
(Tex.Civ.App. lp32), and me discussed at length in Attorney General’s
Opinion 0-4620, both of which state the existing law as to whether
the documents in question are insurance contradE. The benefits
enumerated above are similar to the contract benefits discussed in
National Auto Service Corporation V. State, supra, and similar to
benefits Nos. 2, 3 4 5 and 6 di6cussed on page 2 of Attorney Sen-
eral’s Opinion 0-46pOot The AlAA benefit schedule rovides benefits
;‘for indemnity for personal injury that are obvious ! y insurance.
The file does not indicate whether these comp+nier have
a valid certificate of authority or have charter powers which in-
clude the writing of insurance. Ammmlq that nona of them h&z
so qualified, the irsuance of such Paambershipsend the gale there-
of would be contrary to Ten6 insurance laws.
Baaed upon the facta and coz&tractm Nbmit-
ted, the 16ruance and #ale of member8hlpm in
Metropolitan Automobile Club of Texas, Inc., ,,
Accidental International Automobile Amociition
of Texan, Inc., The Union Autombile Club
Motor Aid Automobile Anmoclatlon Club, c s:
tute the writing of vce gnd are prohfhitod
by hv.
WILLWIISON
\ Attorney General
ti%fiiY&e* j
.’
Wallace P. Finfrock
Amrirtant
ap~IoIIcoIuTrm
8. Orady Chandler, Ohaim