You couldnt make this One up Could You

[RayCVTR]

The way it works in NZ is this:

Vehicle insurance covers only "vehicles" ... not accident injury for people re- loss of wages & medical bills.

NZ has a "no fault" accident compensation scheme. This means that no one can sue anyone for the cause of an accident (of course ... this doesn't mean people can be slack ... they could be prosecuted by Dept of Labour for carelessness etc under Health & Safety regs). So, If I have an non-work accident the ACC (Accident Compensation Corp) will pay 80% of my wages and manage my return to work. ACC meet all medical costs (outside of what may get done through the public health service).

It is paid for by paying an ACC levy (the non-work ACC levy ... there is another work related levy paid by employers). This levy is paid when an employee has PAYE deducted from wages (this is a deduction of tax and the levy). The levy amounts to 1.2% of gross wages ... say $10 a week.

So, if I'm insured and someone who doesn't have vehicle insurance causes damage to me ... my insurance fixes my vehicle and takes action against the other party. If I have insurance and cause damage to someone who doesn't ... my insurance pays. If we both don't have insurance ... it's a civil case ... which is not expensive to do in a "small claims tribunal" (I think the limit is $10,000 ??).

We also pay an extra levy when we "register" our vehicles. Used to be about $280 a year to register a car or bike for road use, and an ACC levy was in here too (unsure of the breakdown). A year or so again the govt attacked bikers for being involved in more costly accidents (in proportion to no. of bikers) and doubled the cost of registration for bikes over 600 cc ... despite the overwhelming evidencce that the bikers weren't necessarily the culprits causing the "higher proportion" of accidents. So now I pay $560 a year to have bike on road. A large chunk of that gos to a trust set up to promote safety ... rider training etc

That may not be a perfect summary ... but essentially, that's how it works "down under" in NZ

[VTRDark]

Nice one, that's good to know. Sounds like a much fairer system to me. The only issue I can see with it is that, if the funds come out of ones work earnings then those that are not working will not be contributing in any way. Apart from that I seem to be a much fairer system to me. At least it can't be left open to abuse by either companies or driver's/riders.

NZ has a "no fault" accident compensation scheme. This means that no one can sue anyone for the cause of an accident (of course ...

This I really like. You would not believe the amount spam phone calls one gets if they are involved in an accident over here. Our insurance companies (which we are forced to have by law) sell our numbers on to money grabbing no win no fee legal firms that will try and get you to claim for things even if one was not interested.

We also pay an extra levy when we "register" our vehicles. Used to be about $280 a year to register a car or bike for road use

Is this the same amount for anyone of any sex, age, size of vehicle.

And I see bikers are undeservedly blamed over there as well and picked on as easy targets. at least some of the funds go into rider training. I guess that's something.

Thanks for you explanation ans welcome to the forum.

(:-})

[RayCVTR]

Hi, come back to check out hat's happening ... I bet you guys are glad spring has sprung into your road going lives (I'll drink to that mate

Here in Hamilton NZ it's pretty mild, so riding all year round is good ... last winter I was emailing a friend in Denver and mentioned the weekend chores included mowing the lawn ... what, in winter she says ? yep, gotta excute th lovely green stuff all da time.

Answer to question about our "accident insurance" .... Is this the same amount for anyone of any sex, age, size of vehicle.

The amount for "registering" a vehicle (of which some of the ACC levy is paid) is about $280 for cars and motorcycles 600cc and under. For motorcycles over 600cc ... pay a whopping double that! A real sore point.

Apart from that recent motorcycle bashing ... the accident cover system does work pretty well. It works for ALL kinds of accidents, not just road ones. The "vehicle registration" just includes a bit of extra revenue gathering ... with a good sized component of the levy part going to a road safety trust (which is politician free).

For those who don't work (and receive a benefit of some kind) and don't pay a levy through their earnings, well, they really don't get any wage compensation if they're in an accident ... they just continue on the dole. They do get medical treatment though. Unless they're professional "beneficiaries", and just temporarily out of the workforce, they will contribute later (and probably have done so before).

Now, for riding !! I belong to the Hamilton Motorcycle Club ... google our website for a nosey ... had a greta "hillclimb" last month.

We're running a winter race series (all of two meetings) in June (winter soltice, almost) and 4 August. ... just keep riders from totally forgetting the track haha.