Insurance companies cannot, on their own, refrain from providing vehicle insurance coverage on the grounds that an accident is fabricated or does not conform to the traffic report, according to an instruction issued by the Qatar Central Bank (QCB).
If an insurance company wishes to re-investigate an accident, it must communicate with the director of the patrol and traffic investigation division of the Traffic Department while mentioning the justification of its request.
Official Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported yesterday QCB Governor HE Sheikh Abdulla bin Saoud al-Thani issued two new circulars on standard regulations for the criteria of issuing insurance documents, protecting clients as well as regulations of insurance coverage for vehicles.
In a statement, the bank said the instructions, due to come into effect as of the date of their issue, are significant for being the first of their kind and were issued by QCB in line with its jurisdiction and powers of supervising and overseeing all insurance services in line with the provisions of Law No 13 of 2012.
The instructions included obliging all employees of insurance companies and insurance brokers to show their business cards and write their employment data or employment number in the insurance document to make it easier for the customer to identify the employee and determine the responsibility of the source of the document.
It shall be prohibited to collect any sums from clients for any reason. The insurance company must disclose to its customers information about the company in a clear fashion, and the insurance client has all the rights that guarantee him access to a high quality service.
Regarding insurance coverage of mechanical vehicles, the statement said that after co-ordination with the Ministry of Interior’s Traffic Department, the instructions came in 17 articles regulating the rights of customers of insurance companies in the event of accidents.
In the case of accidents where there is no damage to the offending vehicle, the insurance company is obliged to cover insurance for the victim once the accident is treated as a traffic case by the patrol and traffic investigation division as the competent authority.
If the offending party was driving a vehicle whose licence had expired less than six months ago, the insurance company is obliged to immediately cover the insurance for the victim without waiting for the accident to be registered as a traffic case. However, if the licence had expired more than six months, the accident is registered as a traffic case while covering the insurance for the victim without waiting for the court’s ruling against the offender.
If the offender has a learning driving licence, the insurance company is obliged to cover the insurance provided that the offender drives the vehicle registered in the licence and is accompanied by someone who has a Qatari driving licence that has been obtained for no less than three years. The accompanying party shall not necessarily be a holder of a driving teacher’s licence.
Insurance companies are obliged to cover insurance even if the traffic report states that the load is not insured. Insurance companies are also obliged to cover the insurance of the victim for accidents occurring at workshops.
Additionally, insurance companies are obliged to cover insurance in accidents that happen due to driving in the wrong direction or at parking lots of commercial complexes, gas stations and inside residential complexes.
In the event of a dispute between the insurance company and the insured party or the victim in the assessment of the damage to the vehicle, the insurance company is obliged to second a QCB-licensed expert to assess the damage in order to draft a report to decide the damages, review their causes and the extent of insurance coverage for them before giving final recommendations to settle the dispute. The insurance company shall bear the expenses and fees and fees for the procedure. If it fails to comply within five business days of the dispute, the insured party or the victim shall carry out the procedure at the company’s expense, QNA added.
