Two-thirds of registered motorcycles in Turkiye do not have compulsory motor third-party liability insurance (also known as traffic insurance), according to Mr Bendevi Palandoken, the chairman of the Confederation of Turkish Tradesmen and Craftsmen (TESK).
With the increase in the courier profession, which faces a greater probability of accidents and damage, traffic insurance premiums should be higher but, unfortunately, the opposite is the case, reported Bloomberg quoting Mr Palendoken.
He highlighted in a statement the need to ensure uniform pricing of compulsory traffic insurance, pointing out that there are differences in the prices charged by various insurance agencies. He said that the alternative to standardised pricing is to make motor third-party liability insurance voluntary.
He indicated that if citizens cannot buy traffic insurance because premiums are high, then the state should contribute to premium payments because the coverage is mandatory.
Mr Palandoken noted, ”Of the 29,367,000 vehicles registered on the road, 6,023,235, or approximately 20%, do not have an insurance policy. 6.71% of cars, 11.21% of pickup trucks, 19.45% of minibuses, 19.06% of special-purpose vehicles, and 65% of motorcycles do not have compulsory traffic insurance."
Calling for traffic insurance to be made affordable, he said that vehicle owners find traffic insurance, which costs around TRY10,000 ($307) on average, to be excessive, and prefer instead to pay the penalty for driving without insurance, which is TRY691.”
He also pointed out that a high number of old vehicles are uninsured. He said, “Approximately 30% of vehicles in circulation are vehicles over 20 years old.”