Car occupants

General
Whether the occupants of a car (or passenger on a motorcycle or scooter) should be insured or not, is a matter about which opinions are divided. We are happy to run it down for you.   

Not necessary?
If you are involved in an accident there are three possibilities as regards the question of who is at fault:

1. Other party at fault (You had right of way, e.g.)
2. Your fault as driver (you should have given the other right of way, e.g.)
3. Force Majeure, and therefore nobody’s fault (e.g. accident caused by skidding on wet leaves on the road)

In the first case you and any passenger can claim compensation from the other party’s insurance carrier. Any claim from an occupant of your car will therefore not end up with you.
In the second case, the occupants of your car (who are then your counter parties), can claim their damages directly from your insurance carrier, who provides coverage for your legal liability. 
And in the third case your passengers will be unable to claim compensation for their personal damages from anyone, included from you. What this boils down to is that the passengers in your car will under normal circumstances never be claiming from you personally.

Is Necessary?
If damages and injuries to the occupants of your car are practically never being claimed from you personally, this raises the question in which cases it makes sense to have an insurance policy covering the occupants of your vehicle anyway. 

• When you as driver suffer damage or injury through a fault of your own, you cannot hold yourself responsible, however. This would leave your personal situation uncovered. A policy covering occupants solves the problem.
• When there develops a lengthy debate on the question of guilt, it could be possible that the any claims can only be met after extended legal procedures. In such cases an occupant policy offers the solution, because the question of guilt is not relevant to paying out on a claim, the policy pays out regardless of who is at fault. 

Premium Amount
Passenger automobiles require different premium amounts than delivery vans, trucks or lorries, or motorcycles.
On average, the premium amount per vehicle that provides a reasonable amount of coverage runs to approximately € 60 per annum.

If you decide to include the occupants of your car on the policy, one telephone call is all it takes.