Motor Insurance

Motor insurance (also known as car insurance, vehicle insurance or auto insurance) is insurance for cars, trucks, motorcycles, and other road vehicles.

Its primary use is to provide financial protection against physical damage or bodily injury resulting from traffic collisions and against liability that could also arise from incidents in a vehicle. Motor insurance may additionally offer financial protection against theft of the vehicle, and against damage to the vehicle sustained from events other than traffic collisions, such as keying (vandalism), passive war (not directly involved in the war itself), weather or natural disasters, and damage sustained by colliding with stationary objects. The specific terms of Motor insurance vary with legal regulations in each country.

Third Party Insurance covers the vehicle owner and any person who drives the vehicle against third party claims for liability in respect of third party bodily injury (including death) as well as third party property damage (vehicles, property) caused by the fault of the vehicle owner or driver. This may include any kind of physical damage (bodily injuries or damage to property) and may cover the cost of all reasonable medical treatment for injuries received in the accident, loss of wages, cost of care services, and in some cases compensation for pain and suffering. Notably, the motorist or the insured is responsible for his own loss as he is not covered for any loss in such type of insurance.
Comprehensive insurance covers all of the above and damage to the vehicle caused by the drivers themselves, as well as vandalism and other risks which can include hit and run cases. This is usually the most expensive type of insurance.

Vehicle insurance can cover some or all of the following items:

• The insured party (medical payments)
• Property damage caused by the insured
• The insured vehicle (physical damage)
• Third parties (car and people, property damage and bodily injury)
• Third party, fire and theft
• The cost to tow your vehicle to a repair facility.
• Accidents involving uninsured motorists.

Different policies specify the circumstances under which each item is covered. For example, a vehicle can be insured against theft, fire damage, or accident damage independently.
Main causes of accidents are: Overloaded vehicles; Speeding; Failure to respect safety distances; High blood alcohol levels; Road safety regulations are sometimes not respected.

Lack of road safety:

• Is the leading cause of mortality in low-income and middle-income countries,
• Causes between 20 and 50 million injuries every year,
• Is the leading cause of death among the 15-29 year-olds,
• Causes the death of vulnerable road users: half of the people killed on the road are pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists, Is costly to economy.
• It includes nearly 3% of the countries’ GDP, Is likely to be the seventh leading cause of death by 2030. In 2009, road accidents were ranked ninth in deaths.