The Russian State Duma Committee on the Financial Market recommended that the parliament abandon the relevant bill introduced for consideration at the end of last year.
A proposal to amend the law on compulsory motor insurance was made by State Duma deputy from the LDPR faction Yaroslav Nilov. The initiative assumes that car owners will have the right to make claims to insurance companies for compensation for damage caused to life, health or property as a result of illegal “actions (inaction) of state bodies, local governments and public utility organizations.”
According to today's standards, OSAGO covers damage only in the context of road traffic accidents. At the same time, situations are not uncommon in which cars are damaged due to the unsatisfactory condition of the road surface, that is, holes and potholes, due to snow not being removed in time, icicles falling from the roofs, and also due to rotten trees not being cut down in a timely manner. This is stated in the explanatory note to the bill.
In these cases, car owners have to go to court to receive compensation. The initiator noted that the average time for consideration of such cases is about nine months, and in the case of a decision made in favor of the owner of the vehicle, enforcement proceedings can drag on for years.
According to Yaroslav Nilov, to establish the circumstances in such incidents, it is necessary to conduct an independent technical examination. In addition, he assumes that in such cases, insurance companies that have paid compensation to car owners will already be able to file recourse claims either against government agencies or utility services, due to whose actions/inaction the damage was caused.
As Kommersant reports, the bill was considered by the State Duma Committee on the Financial Market: as a result, the parliament was recommended to reject it. According to the conclusion of the government committee, the proposed mechanism does not relate to the regulation of the law on compulsory motor liability insurance. In addition, it is expected that the approval of the amendments will result in an increase in the cost of insurance policies. It is worth noting that at the end of last year the average price tag of an “autocitizen” was 7.8 thousand rubles.
The point of view of the Duma Committee on the Financial Market is shared by the Russian Union of Auto Insurers (RUA). The organization explained that “under the MTPL agreement, damage caused by the driver to third parties is compensated.” The union believes that risks such as damage to cars due to bad roads “theoretically could be covered using a new type of liability insurance for utilities and road construction services,” but this would become an additional financial burden on municipal and regional budgets.
We would like to remind you that at the end of last year it became known that insurers could start using used spare parts when repairing cars under compulsory motor liability insurance. True, for this the idea must still be approved by the Central Bank, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Transport; if this happens, the norm may come into force at the end of this year.