Insurers determine the person responsible for the accident on the basis of the data communicated to them by their customers, in particular by means of the accident report. Shared responsibility is also possible.
The Right Ways
If you are not responsible for your damage, you will be compensated by auto liability insurance. Depending on whether the accident will be settled in DRR or not, it will be either your own third party insurer or that of the opposing party which will compensate you.
If you yourself are responsible for damage to your Wrecked car or personal injury, you will not be compensated by RC auto insurance. If you want protection, you can take out additional insurance, such as insurance for your car or driver insurance.
You do not have to repair the damage to your vehicle to be compensated. You have free access to the compensation due which can never differ depending on the use you make of it.
Garage repair regulations
Either your insurer will tell you the garage you can go to for repair, or you can choose one yourself. Most insurers have a network of garages. Some insurers offer advantages such as the provision of a replacement car free of charge if you decide to have your car repaired by a garage that is part of this network. In addition, other insurers automatically include in the insurance contract the provision of a replacement car free of charge. A garage affiliated with the network sends the repair invoice directly to the insurer. This is the third-party payment system which allows more efficient management of the settlement of the claim.
If the garage you choose is not part of your insurer’s garage network, you will receive money from the insurer to pay for repair at the garage.
Appointment of an expert
Your own auto insurer will usually appoint an expert to assess the damage. Sometimes the different parties cannot agree on the amount of damage. Another expert will then take action. The dispute is settled by the possible legal protection insurer.
The expert will go to the garage to examine the car. He will check whether the garage estimate corresponds to the damage resulting from the accident. If this is the case and all the formalities have been completed, he will give his authorization for the repair. This agreement is sometimes made immediately, sometimes some time later, depending on the repairer’s schedule and the possible need to order spare parts.
The insurer has strict payment deadlines
The settlement of the claim must be made within the deadlines set by law. In order to be able to meet these deadlines, however, it must be clear as to who is responsible and how serious the damage is. If it is known with certainty which insurer must intervene but that the extent of the damage cannot yet be definitively determined, the victim is entitled to an advance. This advance is fixed on the basis of the costs already incurred and the future costs already known.
Payment of a deductible
Generally, there is no question of deductible in the context of third-party insurance, as is often the case, for example, for an insurance. However, exceptions are possible. If you have already caused a number of accidents, the insurer may decide to continue to insure you only if you pay a deductible in the event of an accident at fault. This means that you will reimburse yourself a part fixed in advance of the amount of the damage if you cause an accident. An insurer can also ask a young driver to pay such a deductible in order to encourage him to adopt a prudent driving behavior.