Faced with rising prices, the French are looking for savings. And 27% say they are even ready to drive without paying their car insurance. An extremely risky bet, according to the latest figures from the barometer of non-road insurance.
No longer insure to save money? It is a choice that 11% of French people say they are ready to do, according to a study by the insurer Leocare. And in the face of galloping inflation, this figure could increase in the coming months.
Nearly 23,000 victims
However, giving up insurance is often a losing bet. Because in the event of a glitch, the bill can be (very) high. According to the latest edition of the road non-insurance barometer, unveiled on Tuesday by The Parisian, 22,983 people were victims of an accident caused by an uninsured driver in 2021.
This is 26.8% less than in 2019. But the comparison is biased, with two years 2020 and 2021 marked by the Covid and the resulting traffic restrictions. In total, the amount of damage suffered reached €118.4 million. An amount that drivers at fault will have to pay out of pocket.
Because it is a legal obligation: in France, all drivers are required to take out at least third-party car insurance, also called civil liability guarantee. Failing to cover the damage suffered by the person responsible for the accident, the latter takes charge of the compensation for the damage caused to others.
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A bill of 93,840 euros
Failure to comply will result in a fixed fine of 750 euros. See up to €3,750 in case of recurrence. But not only. If you have an accident and you are not insured, the victims will be compensated by the guarantee fund, fed by the deductibles of the insured drivers.
“This fund will exercise an appeal to obtain reimbursement from the driver responsible for the sums paid to the victim”, warns its general manager Julien Rencki in the columns of the Parisian. In case of injurythe bill can quickly amount to “hundreds of thousands or even millions of euros”.
Illustration with this couple who had decided to stop paying their car insurance. Shortly after, they hit a motorcyclist. Conclusion: multiple fractures. And an invoice to €93,840. “They will have to reimburse this sum to our organization at the rate of 340 euros per month during 23 years “, continues Julien Rencki.
By way of comparison, third-party insurance costs on average 480 euros per year, according to the comparison site Lesfurets.com. Something to think twice rather than once before giving up insurance. Even in times of high inflation.
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