Insurers lobby to end EU’s ‘quad bike’ laws

INSURERS are in post-Brexit talks with the Government to ditch a European court ruling that forces them to pay for motor accidents on private land.

Industry bosses said the rules, which also make insurance compulsory for off-road vehicles such as Segways and quad bikes, increase costs, which are passed on to drivers through higher insurance premiums.

Insurers may find that the Government is receptive to change. Boris Johnson previously branded the ruling of Europe’s highest court as “insane” and a “pointless and expensive burden”.

“The kiddie quad bike insurance law is a perfect example of both the overregulation that has sapped the competitiveness of the EU and burdened it with low growth and high unemployment,” he wrote in 2017.

The requirement was introduced after a Slovenian man took his claim to the European Court of Justice over an insurer’s refusal to pay out when his ladder was hit by a tractor.

Dominic Clayden, chief executive of the Motor Insurers’ Bureau, said: “The ruling means premium-paying motorists will end up footing the bill for claims involving a bizarre range of vehicles, such as e-scooters, lawnmowers and golf carts, as well as for accidents on private land.

“The UK has the opportunity to change our laws to remove this unnecessary cost for motorists.”

Mr Clayden confirmed that the Motor Insurers’ Bureau, which pays compensation for accidents caused by uninsured drivers, is in “constructive dialogue” with Whitehall over the issue.

Brexit could also open the door for a review of the 2012 directive that forced insurers to charge men and women the same price for cover.