Being involved in any sort of accident while abroad is no doubt an overwhelming and stressful experience. The Fourth Motor Insurance Directive was enacted to aid people who have been involved in road traffic accidents abroad. The Directive aids those injured by enabling them to pursue personal injury cases for compensation in their own country of residence.
There is no longer a need for injured parties to worry about interacting with a foreign court system, especially in situations where you may find yourself at a loss regarding linguistic and cultural barriers. The Fourth Directive provides a mechanism for victims involved in road traffic accidents, which were not their fault, to pursue claims in their own ordinary country of residence, provided the accident occurred in an EEA Member State and the victim ordinarily lives in an EEA Member State.
The way the Directive works, is that it requires insurers in EEA Member States to nominate a ‘Claims Representative’ in each Member State. If you have been involved in an accident abroad, you can present your claim to the appointed claims representative of the foreign insurer here in Ireland, removing the need to worry about bringing a claim in a foreign language, to a solicitor in another country.
The Directive also requires Member States to establish an Information Centre which keeps a register of all vehicles normally based in its territory. The Motor Insurer’s Bureau of Ireland (MIBI) has been approved as Ireland’s national information centre. Should you find yourself lacking information about the other vehicle(s) involved in your accident or the relevant foreign insurer, the MIBI is open to you to approach and they will assist you in obtaining details about the relevant insurance company and its Irish representative, or help you uncover details of the other vehicle(s) involved in your accident.
Here at Anthony Joyce & Company Solicitors, we are happy to help and advise on your legal rights under the EU Motor Insurance Directives. If you’ve suffered injuries as a result of an accident that was not your fault, in any EEA Member State and are residing in Ireland, please get in contact with one of our solicitors today.
