Many Germans have passenger accident insurance. unnecessarily. It is better to secure yourself against all kinds of damage elsewhere.
The fear of the consequences of a car accident is great. Therefore, passenger accident insurance sells well. This additional car insurance almost exclusively covers risks that are already covered elsewhere.
The passenger accident insurance is an additional insurance to motor insurance such as the mandatory motor vehicle liability and the usual comprehensive policies. Basically, the policy insures the driver and all passengers of a car against permanent damage after a car accident.
The accident must be directly related to the use of the vehicle. In addition to accidents while driving, getting in and out as well as loading and unloading the vehicle are also included in the insurance cover. Motor vehicle accident insurance applies regardless of who caused the accident.
When it comes to additional car insurance, interested parties can usually choose between a flat-rate system and the place system.
The Association of Insured Persons (BdV) puts passenger accident insurance in second place in its list of the nine most superfluous insurance policies, surpassed only by death benefit insurance. Stiftung Warentest also clearly classifies passenger insurance as superfluous in the insurance check. Some car insurers and the ADAC no longer offer passenger insurance. The reason for this is the large coverage of the benefits of passenger accident insurance with benefits from other insurance companies.
If someone is injured in an accident or the car is demolished, the motor vehicle liability insurance of the person responsible will usually cover the costs. This compulsory insurance pays for both property damage and personal injury. Due to the so-called strict liability, this has even applied since 2002 if the driver caused the crash through no fault of his own, for example if a deer ran in front of the car.
Passenger accident insurance, on the other hand, only provides very limited protection:
Ultimately, the question arises as to when passenger accident insurance makes sense. As an argument for passenger insurance, representatives like to list cases in which liability does not apply:
The person who caused the accident committed a hit-and-run and cannot be found. Personal accident insurance pays for permanent damage. However: In this case, the association Verkehrsopferhilfe, to which all motor vehicle liability insurers in Germany have joined, also helps. The association pays up to one million euros for property damage and up to 7.5 million euros for personal injury.
The person who caused the accident is a pedestrian or cyclist who does not have private liability insurance. If he cannot compensate for the damage out of his own pocket, the passenger accident insurance would step in. However, it makes much more sense to include bad debt coverage in your own liability insurance. This pays when all legal options against the polluter have been exhausted – even beyond traffic accidents.
The accident happens abroad and the motor vehicle liability insurance of the person responsible does not pay enough. This can happen because the sums insured are sometimes lower in other countries than in Germany. In this case, passenger accident insurance pays depending on the agreed coverage amount.
The driver is injured in an accident he caused. The treatment in the clinic is covered by the health insurance, the passenger accident insurance only comes into play if the damage is permanent.
“It is better to take out private accident insurance to protect yourself against all permanent damage resulting from the points mentioned,” advises consumer advocate Brehme. A private accident insurance is not limited to accidents with the car, but also covers accidents with the bicycle, in the household or during sports. It is available from 150 euros per year and thus costs around twice as much as passenger insurance. Disability insurance offers even better protection. It pays a pension if the insured person is no longer able to work, regardless of whether this is due to an accident or illness, and costs four to five times as much as accident insurance.
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