I’m going to write about the car insurance system in the UK for a while.
The legal system in England is complex.
Japan has a history of fundamentally changing its legal system through revolutionary events such as the Meiji Restoration and defeat in World War II. I am not familiar with this point either, but I believe that such a revolutionary event has caused a discontinuity in the legal system from the past. Therefore, the current legal system in Japan can be said to have a relatively short history.
On the other hand, in England, a legal system that has been gradually formed over a long, long history is still alive today. Moreover, differences in legal systems can be seen in regions such as England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Britain is often said to be “conservative”. When I was watching TV before, when I was asked about my country of origin, an Englishman answered “England”, which is a region of the country, rather than “UK” as a whole. I’m from Osaka, but if a foreigner asks me where I’m from, I’d say “Japan,” and probably not “Osaka.” I don’t know much about soccer, but it was “England” that participated in the World Cup, not “UK” as a whole. England is really interesting around here. Currently, the withdrawal from the EU is a problem, but considering such characteristics of the British, it seems that it was a natural flow.
Of course, the UK also has a car insurance system. Here, I will mainly focus on the systems of England and Wales.
A two-tiered structure of compulsory automobile liability insurance and voluntary insurance to supplement it is adopted. This system is said to be unique in the world.
In the UK, on the other hand, there are parts where insurance is compulsory (unlimited bodily injury, £1.2 million for property damage). In that sense, compulsory insurance exists. However, instead of concluding two insurance contracts as in Japan, one car insurance contract will be concluded to cover the compulsory part and the part beyond that. For example, it is theoretically possible to enter into a minimum insurance policy that provides insurance coverage only for the parts for which enrollment is compulsory, or it is possible to enter into a more generous policy.
In the UK, compulsory insurance also exists for property damage. This point is very different from Japan, and Japan’s compulsory automobile liability insurance does not cover property damage. Moreover, 1.2 million pounds of insurance is compulsory, which is equivalent to about 180 million yen, considering that 1 pound is about 150 yen, which is extremely generous. If it is a normal traffic accident, it will be fully covered within that range. Considering that in Japan, it is not uncommon for cases in which a claim for physical damage is filed against an assailant who has not enrolled in voluntary insurance, and unfortunately it is not possible to recover the damage, the car insurance system in the UK is generous. It can be said that protection is provided to the victim.
Certainly, in Japan, the participation rate of voluntary insurance is high. Therefore, even if compulsory automobile liability insurance does not cover property damage and the insurance amount is not high (1.2 million yen for a personal injury case with no residual disability), there will be no problem in most cases. However, some people do not have voluntary insurance, and above all, it is generally not easy to collect compensation from people who do not have voluntary insurance. No. Of course, as a victim, it is possible to be self-employed by purchasing first-party insurance such as uninsured car accident insurance in preparation for such a case, and those who are familiar with insurance can do so. deaf. Nonetheless, lawyers often receive consultations from the perpetrators who do not have voluntary insurance and seem to have no means of financial means. At such times, I am keenly aware of the narrow scope of coverage of compulsory automobile liability insurance, and the British automobile insurance system comes to mind.
