HIT AND RUN MOTORISTS

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 4011, 4 August 1931, Page 2

HIT AND RUN MOTORISTS

COMPANIES TO PAY CLAIMS WELLINGTON, July 28. The announcement that the accident insurance companies of the dominion had agreed to accept joint responsibility in cases of motor accidents where the driver is not traced was made in tiro House by the Minister of Transport (Mr Veitch). The question had been raised by Mr W. Nash (Labour member for Hutt), who cited a case in which a boy had been obviously injured by a motor car, and had incurred heavy medical and hospital expenses, but who had no redress because the motorist had not reported the accident, and had not been traced. He understood that, under the third party risks, the insurance companies pooled their resources, and accepted joint responsibility. He thought it should be an easy matter to arrange for the payment oi insurance whenever an accident had obviously resulted from a motor car collision.

In reply, the Minister stated that the position respecting “hit and run” motorists who left their victims on the road was an extremely difficult one, as it was impossible to trace the culprit, ft was true that the insurance companies accepted joint responsibility, but there was no law to compel insurance companies to pay in such a case, as it was impossible to ascertain the company m which the risk had been taken. However, they had no desire to benefit by tin’s position, and, as a re: It of a conference called by the Transport Department, an agreement had been reached under which the companies would accept joint responsibility in cases of the nature mentioned.