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No need for accident insurance?

In the AD of 02-10-2010, Mr. Jaap Roelants, in our opinion, makes a mistake regarding a reader's question whether accidental occupant insurance is necessary. He indicates that this insurance would be unnecessary.

We believe that accident passenger insurance is not a superfluous luxury but a necessary insurance and we will explain why below.

In Mr Roelants' answer, he indicated that personal injury to passengers is covered by the driver's third-party (motor) liability insurance. That is indeed the case, but only if the driver can actually be held liable for causing the accident. Mr Roelants also forgets the following:

  • Who covers the driver's damages?
    This is because the driver is also an occupant, but if the accident was caused by the driver's fault, the driver's third-party (car) insurance will not pay for the driver's damages. It will pay for the damages of the other occupants.
  • Although medical costs are covered by the health insurance, not all costs are, as some things are limited and capped so that the costs of permanent medical injury are at some point for your own account. Should a driver become disabled and end up in a wheelchair, for example, a payment from an accident passenger insurance can pay for the initial costs of, for example, a renovation so that the driver can continue to live in his own home.
No need for accident insurance

Is the question of fault important in an accident passenger insurance?

Mr. Roelants' example overlooks something very important:
Who is going to pay when the driver is NOT guilty?

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There are 3 possibilities:

  1. The tortfeasor is known and liable.
    In that case, it is fairly straightforward and one will be able to face compensation.
  2. The tortfeasor is known and, according to the victim, liable.
    However, the (insurer of the) other party is of the opinion that there is no liability.
    In that case, years of wrangling can ensue regarding the question of guilt. And as long as liability is not acknowledged, the third-party insurer will not pay anything. During that time, the occupants are left with the unrecoverable costs such as, for example, costs incurred to widen doorposts and remove thresholds because an occupant ended up in a wheelchair.
  3. The party causing the damage is liable but has continued driving after the collision and cannot be traced.
    In that case, there may be a long road ahead to recover damages.
    The Guarantee Fund could be an option, but liability must still be proven and the other specific Guarantee Fund requirements must be met.

In short, had the driver purchased accident passenger insurance, it would not have mattered who was at fault or not. In that case, benefits would have been provided under the accident passenger insurance policy.
So redundant.... we think not!

In addition to the accident passenger insurance, there is also the passenger indemnity insurance. This insurance pays for the actual and demonstrable damage suffered as a result of the accident. This could include property damage, loss of earnings, medical costs and funeral costs. Unfortunately, Mr Roelants completely ignores this too. There are countless examples in daily practice which show that this insurance has also proved to be more than useful.

Do you want to know the differences between the accident passenger insurance and the passenger indemnity insurance? Then click here for the most important differences.

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  • To calculate premiums, we need the zip code of the primary driver. For private use, the youngest driver must reside at the same address as the applicant. In case of business use, you can enter the postal code of the company here.

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