Negligence is an unintentional act. The failure of a person to exercise the degree of care that a reasonably prudent person would have exercised under similar circumstances to avoid harming another person is negligence. This can be failing to do something a reasonably prudent person would do (an act of omission) or doing something a prudent person would not have done (an act of commission). Negligence is the most common basis for claims covered by liability insurance policies.