Traffic violation premium in motor insurance on cards
Aworking group constituted by the insurance regulator to study the scope of linking motor insurance premium with traffic violations has recommended adding ‘traffic violation premium’ in every motor insurance policy, in addition to motor own-damage (OD), basic third-party (TP), additional TP, and compulsory personal accident premium.
It will float over OD and TP sections of motor insurance and can be attached to any section of motor insurance cover being purchased. “This will ensure, regardless of any insurance cover a motor owner wants to buy, he/she will be subjected to traffic violation premium, unless he/she already has in force a motor insurance policy wherein traffic violation premium has already been paid,” said the group.
It goes on to say that whenever a person approaches a general insurer for any type of motor insurance, he/she will be assessed for their traffic violations and the traffic violation premium they need to pay. And, the premium has to be paid by the owner of the vehicle, thereby taking full responsibility of the traffic violations, irrespective of the driver of the vehicle.
Furthermore, the recommendations given by the group say the traffic violation premium will follow the fortune of vehicle, rather than the owner. That is to say, a new vehicle will start with no traffic violation history, irrespective of the fact that the vehicle owner may have previous violation history as a driver or with another vehicle.
“This apparently may appear inequitable. However, it was deliberated upon and kept this way for the sake of simplicity,” said the working group.
Also, after sale of vehicle, the traffic violation premium shall start from ground zero from the date of vehicle ownership transfer and build up depending upon the traffic violations caused by vehicle after ownership transfer. The insurance information bureau, which is promoted by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India, will work with state traffic police and the National Informatics Centre to collect data and make it available to all general insurers.
This will be run on a pilot basis in the National Capital Territory (NCT). Since a large number of vehicles enter NCT on a daily basis, vehicles from other states that cause traffic violation in NCT will have to pay traffic violation premium at the time of insuring their vehicles. “All general insurers registered in the country shall need to modify their motor insurance policy schedule to clearly reflect a fifth section and make changes to their information technology systems to mandatorily collect and account for this premium as a separate and additional fifth section,” it said.