Hitting from the second reading
Yesterday, the Duma Committee on Credit Institutions and Financial Markets approved a draft law on compulsory civil liability insurance for car owners. On March 17, it will be submitted for the first reading. At the same time, deputies will be shown the option they rejected two years ago, and when voting they will be asked to keep in mind a completely different one.

The law on compulsory civil liability insurance for car owners is one of the most “unlucky” in Russian history. They first tried to adopt it back in 1924, then they returned to this idea in the early 80s, and since 1994 these attempts have become regular. However, so far they have not been successful. The main reason for the latest failures was that any compulsory insurance at the expense of citizens is regarded by them as the introduction of a new tax. And the left factions skillfully took advantage of this.
Nevertheless, executive authorities continue to insist on compulsory civil liability insurance for car owners. And the leadership of the traffic police even believes that with the introduction of such a law there will be fewer accidents on Russian roads. Moreover, more and more car owners are purchasing liability insurance policies on their own. So now is the right time to implement the law.
It is interesting that on March 17, deputies will be presented with the bill “On compulsory civil liability insurance for owners of motor vehicles,” which was rejected two years ago. True, with special explanations. As Kommersant was told in the State Duma Committee on Credit Institutions and Financial Markets, deputies will need to “have in mind” a completely different bill - “On guarantees of compensation for harm when using vehicles.” It has not yet gone through the necessary procedures and cannot be entered yet. And the deputies will be asked to adopt the “old” bill in order to turn it into a new one through amendments already in the second reading.
The new version does not contain the word “mandatory” in the title. And it will be introduced in stages - initially only life and health insurance will be mandatory. All this, according to the authors, should convince the left to vote for the law.
However, now their voices are no longer so important. “In the last Duma, the law had no chance due to the absolute rejection of the left factions, which were in the majority. Now the balance of forces has changed - Unity, SPS and Yabloko will significantly outweigh the opinion of the left with their support,” the deputy chairman of the committee told Kommersant. for credit institutions and financial markets Vladimir Tarachev.
YULIA Kommersant-PANFILOVA, TATYANA Kommersant-GRISHINA

Newspaper "Kommersant" No. 42 dated March 14, 2000, p. 7

Authors:

Tatyana Grishina