I've been looking into travelling to the USA (CA specifically) later this year, and hiring a car whilst I'm there.
As I understand the American legal system, if I should get into an accident and be found at fault, then I'd be liable for any and all medical expenses incurred by the other driver as a result of the accident.
The mandatory auto insurance for the state is some amount in the tens of thousands, and most rental firms offer some supplemental liability insurance going up to ~$1,000,000.
This leaves me quite concerned, because if the other driver suffers, say, a spinal injury and spends 3 months in hospital, $1m starts to look like pocket change compared to the the bills US hospitals can produce.
So what steps can you take to safeguard yourself from being liable for everything past $1m?
For reference, I'm from the UK where all car insurance is required to provide unlimited liability for 3rd party claims (c.f. the Great Heck rail crash).