27.05.2019
By Jo Yejin
When driving, there are cases in which an accident cannot be avoided, but most collisions are treated [by insurance companies] as if both drivers are at fault. From now on, however, it will be possible for one driver to receive 100% of the blame, if the faults to a vehicle are obvious. In situations where a victim cannot avoid a crash, it will be treated as the one-sided fault of the perpetrator. The Korean Financial Services Commission has revised the “Automobile Accident Fee Rate Criteria”, which sets the percentage of negligence [in different given situations].
There has been a constant stream of complains from consumers, alleging that insurance companies have been charging an excess to both parties involved in accidents. In fact, the number of complaints regaridng malpractice in accident fee rates surged from 40,000 in 2015 to 75,000 last year. Korean car insurance is overseen by the Non-Life Insurance Association. Accrordingly, the Financial Supervisory Commission has decided to newly establish 22 accreditation standards for unilateral accidents and to change 11 accreditation standards. For example, if a car goes straight ahead or turns left, the car that makes a left turn on the straight lane commits a 1005 error. When there is contact between a car and a bicycle in a bike lane, it is recognised as 100% the car driver’s fault. In the case of accidents involving vehicles entering a rolling intersection and [striking] driving vehicles, a new fault ratio of 80% to 20% was newly established. In addition, according to a recent court ruling, it was decided to add another 20 standards and increase the rate of negligence in the case of motorcycle accidents.
The Financial Supervisory Commission will implement these revised standards from the 30th and will cooperate with the loss insurance association to promote the changes.
Analysis: People who have commuted by cycle within Korea will probably not be surprised to learn that, before this new set of standards was released, car/bicycle collisions within a bike lane weren’t necessarily blamed on the car driver.