Discussing in groups at the 10th session of the 15th National Assembly on draft laws, including the draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Insurance Business, some opinions said that there should be fundamental solutions to strengthen people's trust in the type of compulsory civil liability insurance for motor vehicle owners (motorbike insurance).
Regarding this issue, the reporter had an interview with National Assembly Delegate Nguyen Thi Viet Nga - Member of the City Party Committee, Deputy Head of the National Assembly Delegation of Hai Phong City.
The compensation settlement process in many places is still cumbersome, time-consuming and lacking transparency
According to the Delegate, has the current compulsory motorbike insurance type really promoted its role and purpose in ensuring the rights of participants?
- In reality, after many years of implementation, compulsory civil liability insurance for motorbike and motorbike owners has not yet achieved the expected results. The rate of people buying insurance is mainly a form of dealing with traffic inspectors, and has not really considered this a tool to protect their own rights.
So what is the cause of this, Mr. Delegate?
- I think there are 4 main reasons:
First, propaganda work is still limited. Many people do not clearly understand the nature of this type of insurance as being to protect the rights of third parties who are affected, not "one-for-one" insurance in the sense of compensation when they are involved in an accident. Lack of knowledge leads to indifference, thinking that "buy the same, not buy the same", thereby reducing the level of voluntary compliance.
Second, the compensation settlement process in many places is still cumbersome, time-consuming and non-transparent. People have to provide many documents and evidence that are difficult to prove, while insurance companies still show signs of "arid payment".
In reality, there are many accidents, even if the person causing the accident has purchased compulsory insurance, it is difficult for the victim or the victim's family to access compensation. This has caused people to lose confidence, leading to the thinking: "Buying insurance is just to avoid being fined, but it cannot be resolved when needed".
Third, the compensation level is still relatively low compared to the actual cost. For example, the maximum insurance liability for human losses is 150 million VND/person/incident, while the cost of medical treatment, rehabilitation or compensation for long-term loss of working capacity is often much higher. Thus, current insurance only plays a partly supportive role, not creating a truly solid financial support.
Fourth, there are still shortcomings in state management. Post-sales inspection and supervision is still weak; there is no synchronous database system between the authorities and insurance companies; regulations on penalties are not strict, but many violations are not handled or are not handled consistently.
It is necessary to propagate to make people understand that motorbike insurance is a "financial shield" when risks occur
There are opinions that "mandatory" motorbike insurance should be eliminated, what is the delegate's view?
- In my opinion, it should not be left unnecessary. In essence, civil liability insurance is a legal tool to ensure the rights of third parties who are unfortunate victims of traffic accidents.
This is a humane policy, sharing risks on a whole society scale. If the mandatory consideration is abolished, many people will not buy insurance, leading to a situation of "self-responsibility", causing victims to not be compensated, creating a burden for their families, society and public health facilities.
In addition, in complex traffic conditions, the number of motorbikes accounts for more than 70% of motor vehicles, motorbike-related accidents account for a high proportion, so compulsory insurance is an important measure to reduce conflicts, ensure civil liability and social order and safety.
However, maintaining the mandatory nature does not mean maintaining the old way of doing things. If we continue to apply a formal mechanism, not improving service quality, not raising people's trust, the compulsory purchase of insurance will become a burden and cause negative reactions.
Therefore, what needs to be done is not to "abandone or keep", but to "Innovate the way of organization, management and implementation" so that the policy can truly come into life.
How to make compulsory motorbike insurance effective, ensuring consumer rights, ma'am?
- For this policy to truly promote its role in protecting the people, in my opinion, it is necessary to focus on the following groups of solutions:
First, raise awareness and change the way of propaganda. It is necessary to shift from one-way propaganda to specific, easy-to-understand, and easy-to-receive instructions.
You can include real-life situations, illustrative videos, social networking applications to help people understand that insurance is not to "combat with the police" but to be a "financial shield" when risks occur. Schools, youth unions, residential groups... can also participate in educating awareness of insurance participation.
Second, reform compensation procedures, apply digital transformation. The State needs to require insurance companies to deploy electronic compensation records, take photos of the scene via the application, and connect with accident data from traffic police and hospitals.
The time for settling compensation needs to be clearly regulated, if the deadline is overdue, the victim must automatically advance. This will increase transparency and strengthen people's trust.
Third, adjust the compensation responsibility level to suit reality. It is possible to study raising the compensation level for human losses to a level commensurate with the current treatment cost.
At the same time, expand the scope of insurance to legal costs, psychological support, and rehabilitation after accidents as many countries have applied.
Fourth, strengthen inspection and supervision of insurance companies. The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Public Security need to coordinate in building a common database, managing insurance contracts using identification codes, avoiding forgery and dealings. Businesses that are late in paying or avoiding responsibility should be strictly punished, and even have their business licenses revoked if they violate seriously.
Fifth, consider flexible distribution options. In addition to selling insurance at traditional dealers, it can be deployed through banking applications, e-wallets, post offices, or integrated right after vehicle registration. This is both convenient and creates conditions for centralized management, limiting the situation of "buying, giving and throwing away".
Sixth, better protect the rights of the disadvantaged. The State can study supporting insurance premiums for students, poor workers or mountainous areas, remote areas, and those who need protection and have limited financial capacity. That will spread the humanity of the policy.
In short, when people clearly feel their rights are guaranteed, when procedures are transparent and compensation is timely, participating in insurance will become an act of self-awareness, without need for reminders, and without need for punishment. That is the real success of the policy.
Sincerely thank the Delegate!
