PDF download - Metropolregion Rhein-Neckar

Automobile insurance
It is possible to obtain a private policy to insure yourself in regard to the many risks of everyday life.
Private insurances are tailored to the needs of the individual. They are applied for and signed on a
voluntary basis. The only exception is the liability insurance for motor vehicles, as this is a legally
compulsive insurance.
Without a liability insurance you cannot register your vehicle and you are therefore not permitted to drive
the automobile. When registering your vehicle you must also submit an insurance confirmation card - socalled
“Doppelkarte”. The liability insurance covers risks for persons, as well as special and financial
damages, which could result from the use of the vehicle. This insurance covers the whole of Europe.
As the owner of the vehicle you are financially responsible (to an unlimited amount) for any damage
caused by the vehicle. Especially in regard to personal injuries this can quickly exceed your financial
possibilities. In case of you being to blame for damage the liability insurance will pay the claims within the
context of the previously arranged coverage. In this way the compulsory insurance benefits all road
users: On the one hand the person who caused the damage is not financially ruined, and on the other
hand with this regulation the traffic victim is guaranteed to actually receive payment for the damages.
As soon as you have informed your insurance company about an accident, you no longer need to worry
about the settlement of a claim. First your insurance company examines whether you are to be made
liable for a damage event, then automatically takes on the payment of the claims for damages. However,
it can also deny unjustified claims for damage payments. As soon as the settlement of a claim is final, the
insurer communicates the expenditures of the case to you. After that you have six months to reimburse
the settlement costs to the insurer if you want to avoid increasing the amount of your no-claims discount
in the next calendar year.
The automobile insurance (all risk insurance policies regarding vehicles) is divided into ‘partial cover’
and ‘comprehensive cover’ (full insurance cover).
In the partial cover you are insured against the dangers of theft, fire, glass break, collision with wild
game or elementary events, like earthquakes, landslides, avalanches and flooding. Frequently a self
participation of 150 € is agreed upon, i.e. by a damage you carry the first 150 € and the insurance
company carries the remaining costs. For the partial cover the ‘no-claims discount’ does not apply.
The comprehensive cover includes the partial cover and additionally secures your vehicle against
pre-meditated damage or vandalism, as well as self-inflicted damage. The self cost contribution is
mostly higher in the comprehensive cover than in the partial cover insurance. The comprehensive
cover insurance has a ‘no-claims discount’, which is adjusted to the ‘no-claims discount’-class of
the liability when first setting up the liability insurance. Confirmations regarding accident-free driving
abroad by foreign insurers are treated differently from one insurance company to another. It is
important to have this confirmed before signing a contract in order to avoid a higher account
statement later on.
Accident and breakdown cover are frequently offered in combination with the automobile insurance.
Mostly, this results in only a small additional contribution. However, you profit greatly when in an
emergency situation by receiving extensive additional services in conjunction to the vehicle breakdown or
accident.
http://www.wish-you-were-here.com 242