"Driving without insurance is the worst bet." The Victims' Guarantee Fund published on Wednesday its annual barometer on non-road insurance, noting an increase in the number of uninsured vehicles involved in accidents between 2017 and 2021.
This organization compensates, among other things, victims in the event of a traffic accident caused by an uninsured driver. It launches this Wednesday a prevention campaign entitled "Driving without insurance is the worst bet".
In 2021, out of "82,451 drivers involved in a physical accident that were the subject of a police report in 2021, 4,114 drivers had no insurance," writes the Fund, or 5%. This percentage was 3.46% in 2017, an increase of 44.5% in 5 years.
Half of these drivers under the age of 30
On the other hand, the number of injured in road accidents, victims of uninsured drivers, decreased from 2019 (before the Covid-19 pandemic) to 2022, from 9,393 injured to 8,443. The figure is still up compared to 2021 (8,159 injured), which "invites caution", on the evolution of these data.
Despite this decrease over the last three years, the total amount of compensation paid to victims increased from €104.7 million in 2019 to €106.9 million in 2022 (+2.1%). "This is explained by the increase in out-of-pocket medical costs, the increase in the rates of human assistance (...) and the evolution of jurisprudence," says the organization.
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On the other hand, the Victims' Guarantee Fund warns of the significant share of young people in these accidents. They "are the first to be affected by non-insurance, especially the most modest. This problem is all the more worrying as they cause proportionately more accidents. »
According to their data, half of the perpetrators of uninsured accidents in 2022 were under 30 years old and the share of uninsured students involved in these accidents has increased by 30% since 2018.
"A legal obligation"
As a reminder, in France, "having liability insurance for your vehicle is a legal obligation. However, only so-called third-party insurance is compulsory. This only covers damage caused to a third party by driving or parking the vehicle," writes the Ministry of the Economy. Failure to possess one can result in a fine of up to 3,750 euros as well as a license suspension or confiscation of the vehicle.
On the other hand, in the event of an accident, "the lack of insurance forces you to compensate the victim, which can generate depending on the case, very large sums. "
To avoid these situations, the Guarantee Fund calls for "better awareness among young drivers" so that they are informed of the importance of insuring themselves at the wheel, but also to make car insurance "more accessible to young drivers" while continuing "the strengthening of the control of compliance with the insurance obligation by the police".
