Over an year ago, I was driving not so fast not so slow, near the hard median of a road, when I spotted a bold biker riding on the 'wrong' side. Right around then, an impatient cab (Sumo) following behind decided to pass me from the left, the overtaking action putting him on a collision course with the wrong-way biker. The biker sensed trouble and tried to 'filter' through us. But in between his confused maneuvers, the bike slipped, fell, and I found the man and machine directly ahead of me. Hard median to my right, heavy-metal Sumo on my left, I didn't have much to do or think, I braked hard, real hard, and stopped just short of the fallen human and machine waiting to be crushed.
After a few chants of tumba thanks and sorry, I was thinking what if I had actually collided with the fallen bike? What if I had injured that guy? Would insurance proceedings really and effortlessly side with me, and punish only the biker? What if motor vehicle insurance laws and arrangements were ruthless enough - prove that the other party was blatantly breaking a basic rule of driving, no matter what (even if the other party suffered life threatening injuries - sorry), you don't have to pay and worry a paisa?
Extend this thinking a bit further. What if insurance companies used lane markers to determine the guilty party in vehicle accidents? And what if, in case the markers were missing from the road, the insurance companies are allowed to sue the authority responsible for maintaining the lane markers for compensation?
What if, when I ram into a vehicle parked in no-parking zone, I wont be liable for any damage done to either vehicle?
Can strengthening the hands of motor vehicle insurance firms be an indirect way of helping the enforcement authorities?
PS: There could be misuse (Go ram a vehicle parked on no-parking zone if you want to get your car dents repaired). But can the percentage of misuse can be kept low enough?
[Note: Photos are only for representation purposes, not from the incident I narrated here]
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I think this would be good
Good argument
SB,
Enforcement and insurance can be linked in the way that you have suggested, but one cannot ignore the human angle to insurance.
What if you had run over the motorist and killed him? - If we apply the rule suggested above, then his family could eventually be on the streets.
Some minor tweaks can make it effective to a certain extent.
for ex: If damages arise out of a wrong-side driving and are limited to material damage, then compensation should be limited to 3rd party damages caused and not to the insured's vehicle and any non life-threatening bodily injury to the insured.
This also can be implemented uniformly since IRDA(Insurance Regulation and Development Auth) oversees the functioning of Insurance companies.
I was about to suggest the
I was about to suggest the same idea but found Roshan had beaten me to it.
The Banks have recently come up with a database of borrowers because of which a defaulter in one Bank will never be able to get any loan from any other Bank in his life time.
Similarly, the Insurance companies too might be well-advised to have two databases of vehicles and drivers with details of acci dents involving the vehicles and inci dents showing the driver's attitudes and lapses. A Reward Program of incentives to people reporting these instances will increase reportings as well as increase premium revenues of the beleaguered insurance companies for whom third party insurance business is a big loss.
Insurance - Can help to enforce some order
SB - Great thoughts, indeed.
Extending this idea, the corpn can also be held liable for deficient services if my vehicle rammed a divider that is poorly marked or if a vehicle is damaged due to dug up roads not properly cordoned off /marked.
This may be one way to bring along some accountability, which is presently non-existent.
Absolutely Naveen! I think
Insurance
I am using vehicle for the past 6 years..I also took one insurance plan. which will be really essential in order to claim .There are many insurance companies existing now, form that we need to select the best .
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