Wednesday 24th July 2013 a meeting was held between 2 Wheels Malta Foundation and the Malta Insurance Association. The points raised and the relative replies were: i) Persons involved in an accident should advise their respective insurances such that the claim is resolved as soon as possible. The process should be initiated even if one of the involved parties, usually the guilty one does not submit a claim. Should the guilty party involved refuse to submit a claim, then his insurers shall advise him that if within 10 days he does not submit a claim, he will then be facing increased expenses as an arbitration will be entered into and persistent refusal will result in a mandatory arbitration with attendant increased costs. The guilty party’s insurers would then initiate a claim against the guilty party. ii) Difficulties in insuring 2 wheeled vehicles, most refuse to insure outright without valid reasons. Those that do offer insurance require that a car is also insured. There is also extreme difficulty in insuring ‘Third Party Fire & Theft’ and ‘Fully Comprehensive’ Contact MIA if any company refuses to insure a two wheeled vehicle. iii) A discount should be offered for persons insuring more than one bike. MIA stated that a discount does indeed exist if a person owns more than one bike, provided he is the sole operator of the vehicle. iv) No Claims Discount should be available to motorcyclists. MIA stated that if No Claims Discount is given then in all probability premiums would have to increase. Furthermore MIA claimed that premiums have generally been decreasing since our entry into the EU. v) Suggestion that a body should oversee Insurance Companies, and clients have recourse to complain in case of difficulties. Complaints should be addressed to the MFSA, Malta Financial Services Authority, specifically to Mr Geoffrey Bezzina. Insurers should advise their clients about this. vi) Following Malta’s entry into the EU, insurance premiums increased considerably. The main reason quoted for this was the mandatory cover for pillions. This coverage however is not required in case of single seat motorcycles. This should result in a substantial reduction of premiums for such motorcycles. MIA suggested that, in agreement with the local authorities and Transport Malta, a special category for single seat motorcycles should be created. They will then be ready to consider appropriate discounts. vii) Insurance coverage for motorcycle gear, i.e. helmets, jackets, pants, eyewear, gloves, boots etc. The guilty party’s insurers are also liable to make good for any damages caused to gear besides the motorcycle itself. However if coverage is required by the motorcyclist then obviously a separate insurance cover would be required. I.e. if one skids one cannot claim for any damaged gear unless he has a separate coverage. viii) Contrary to cars, motorcycle insurance only covers the owner, not other persons. No satisfactory reply was given for this, however named persons can possibly be offered coverage, but this may entail increased costs. ix) Insurance Companies websites should incorporate facilities where one may input appropriate details to get an insurance quote. This is being undertaken and should be available sometime in the future. x) Standing up a motorcycle post accident to prevent petrol and oil spillage. MIA will be advising wardens about this, and provided the motorcycle is not displaced from its post crash position, it should not be a problem. However since most mobiles today feature a camera it would be preferable to take pictures of the accident scene prior to standing up the bike. Wardens would be preferred to sketch an accident scene as they would normally have cameras available, however in case of injuries the Police must attend the accident scene.
Posted on: Thu, 25 Jul 2013 21:59:30 +0000
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