MASFED: Vehicle damage to earthquake victims must be covered immediately

Cem YILDIRIM/ANKARA

The President of the Federation of Motor Vehicle Dealers (MASFED), Aydın Erkoç, called on rights holders to pay auto insurance costs for vehicles, which suffered damages of varying proportions or were completely destroyed due to collapses and other reasons, in 10 provinces where severe earthquakes caused heavy losses. of life and property and where the State of Emergency was declared.

While talking about TCIP payments for homes destroyed in the earthquake, he also wonders how the damage to tens of thousands of cars, trucks and tractors will be compensated.

Erkoç stated that thousands of people lost their lives or were injured because of the earthquake, millions of them were disturbed, citizens who were unable to work, lost family members or were dealing with health problems, needed financial resources.

‘INSURANCE COMPANIES SHOULD COVER DAMAGE’

“Many of our citizens who survived the earthquake have put their solid or damaged vehicles up for sale due to the need for resources.

It may be thought that the wrecked vehicles sold are mostly uninsured vehicles. However, an important part of the vehicles in the provinces affected by the earthquake also have car insurance. Insurance companies must act quickly and cover these damages from the victims. In the case of vehicles that have become completely useless, they must acquire a new vehicle or pay the value of the lost vehicles within the framework of the provisions of the policy.

WHAT DOES THE LEGISLATION SAY?

Mandatory traffic insurance does not cover damage to vehicles as a result of earthquakes. In auto insurance, the situation changes depending on the content of the policy. If the earthquake damage is covered by the insurance policy, the damage must be covered. If the vehicle is partially damaged, the repair costs are paid, and if the vehicle is damaged, the current price after legal deductions is paid. If the owner of the vehicle dies, payments are made to his heirs. After the inheritance certificate is made, you can apply to the insurance company and request payments.

HOW MANY VEHICLES ARE THERE IN 11 CITIES?

The total number of motor vehicles in 10 provinces, where earthquakes killed tens of thousands of people and destroyed tens of thousands of buildings, stands at the level of 3,298,433 as of the end of January 2023. 1,546,280 of these are automobiles.

In these provinces there are 717 thousand 465 motorcycles, 503 thousand 113 vans, 311 thousand 61 truck tractors, 117 thousand 237 trucks, 71 thousand 382 microbuses, 22 thousand 588 buses and 9 thousand 307 special purpose vehicles.

MOST VEHICLES ARE IN ADANA AND GAZIANTEP

The provinces with the highest number of vehicles are Adana with 750 thousand 1 units and Gaziantep with 601 thousand 997 vehicles, while Hatay, one of the provinces most affected by the earthquake, has 557 thousand 264 vehicles. Şanlıurfa follows this province with 273 thousand 435 vehicles.

Kahramanmaraş, one of the two provinces most affected by the earthquake, has 272,341 motorized land vehicles.

Data on how many of these vehicles were damaged or destroyed by the quake will be released in the coming days.