Civil liability insurance – what is it?
By definition, these are property insurance that protects the car owner from liability for damages caused while driving or standing still.
Who and when has to buy civil liability?
To purchase liability insurance are obliged to all who register vehicles, namely holders:
- Passenger cars,
- Heavy goods vehicles
- Agricultural tractors,
- motorcycles,
- Other motor vehicles.
The third party liability policy should be purchased on the day of vehicle registration at the latest. It is worth adding that historical vehicles create an exception and can be insured on the day they are put into traffic.
What affects the price of third party liability insurance?
When looking for third party liability insurance, it is worth browsing the offers of various companies. According to the act, they should propose the same conditions for a specific vehicle. Prices, however, may vary. Why? Because each insurance company has different risk calculations. When choosing the best liability insurance for you, you need to pay attention to what, apart from the basic insurance, is offered. We are talking about the assistance package or service. The amount of the civil liability insurance policy is determined individually, and its amount depends, among others, on from:
- The driver’s age, date of issue of his driving license, his history of damage, marital status, place of residence;
- Car – brand, model, mileage, engine capacity.
What protection is provided by third party liability insurance?
The Act on Compulsory Insurance of May 22, 2003 regulates the principles of the third party liability insurance policy . First of all, it serves its owners when they cause a collision or an accident. As previously mentioned, thanks to it, you will not have to pay for the event from your own resources. The money for the repair of the victim’s car, and his treatment is covered by the insurer. However, when it comes to repairing the vehicle of the person who caused the damage – third party liability insurance will not cover it. However, you can protect yourself against such consequences by buying AC, i.e. Auto Casco.
When will the compensation from civil liability not be paid?
Accident victims can count on compensation paid from the perpetrator’s civil liability insurance policy. Unfortunately, there are exceptions when the driver will have to bear these costs. It is about a situation when
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- The damage concerns parcels, luggage, and loads transported in the car for a fee, and the driver is responsible for them;
- It concerns pollution / contamination of the environment;
- Being the driver of someone else’s vehicle will damage his own;
- Jewelery, documents, cash and other valuable items, e.g. numismatic collections, will be damaged / lost.
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If the driver:
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- Willfully cause an accident / collision;
- He is not licensed to drive;
- Will be under the influence of alcohol or drugs;
- He will run away from the scene
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Yes, the insurance company will pay compensation to the injured person. But he has the right to ask the perpetrator for the money back.
No third party liability insurance
The lack of compulsory third party liability insurance would result in the perpetrator paying all damages, including compensation, to those who suffered any damage during the accident. The wait for money could go on for many years, forever. Hence the compulsory third party liability insurance. Thanks to its payment by drivers, the victims can easily receive compensation in cash. At this point it should be noted that a driver without a third party liability insurance policy causes himself a lot of problems. The Insurance Guarantee Fund is responsible for verifying its absence. This is done on the basis of reports from insurance companies. It happens that it imposes a penalty on a person without valid civil liability, which is even several hundred zlotys higher than the annual rate of compulsory insurance. Conclusion – it is worth having a policy.
Penalties for lack of liability
There are penalties for the lack of liability insurance . Their amounts are determined pursuant to the Act of May 22, 2003 and the ordinance of the Council of Ministers. In addition, anyone who causes an accident or a collision without valid civil liability insurance increases the costs:
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- Repair of the injured car,
- tow,
- Treatment,
- Compensation for losses.
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Sometimes these amounts amount to several million zlotys. Being a victim of an accident caused by a driver without civil liability, you can count on compensation from the Insurance Guarantee Fund. The latter, in turn, will demand reimbursement from the perpetrator of the incident. To sum up, third party liability insurance is extremely important for the driver, the perpetrator and the injured party. When it comes to choosing a policy – it is worth comparing the offers of several insurance companies before making a decision on the automatic extension of the current insurance. Perhaps there will be a more advantageous option, on better terms.