Piecing the story together, in the most simplest form possible, the incident created a landmark ruling regarding insurance for vehicles designated for use on private land. Previously, vehicles such as quads, ride-on lawnmowers and golf buggies were exempt from being insured as they were not used on public roads.
The accident occurred when a tractor, reversing a trailer within a barn, struck the Slovenian farm hand, injuring him in the process. The casualty was refused an insurance payout because the incident happened on private property, but in a hearing within the European Court of Justice, it was ruled that compulsory insurance should have been in place to cover the tractor.
What this means in effect is that the entire system has been thrown into disarray, with many vehicle owners facing overnight costs to insure any motor vehicle that is used on land, private or not.
So, what type of vehicles does this include? Well, basically anything that is motorised, including the above mentioned, quad-bikes, trikes, combine harvesters, trials bikes, motorised scooters for disabled use and even ride-on children's toys! Cars and other vehicles that can be kept on private land through a SORN declaration often enable cost effective transportation for farmers carrying out daily duties on their land, however even the SORN system is being threatened.
For the average motorist, all this means one thing...greater expense for customers. Quite simply, as insurance catchments widen, covering these additions, not only will it place more strain on customers to ensure they have the right insurance but will also place sizeable increases on the amount they pay for their premiums.
Track day cars, agricultural machinery and recreational vehicles for use on private roads or land, will all suffer these levies, and with this will no doubt follow the headaches and stress of motorists, especially across the UK.
As specialist vehicle leasing experts, Leasing Options continue to bring you news and information from the motoring world in addition to cost efficient deals on a huge range of cars and vans, check back for more breaking news on our regularly updated news section here...
12 May 2015
