Maruti Dzire driver on phone while driving rear-ends my Jeep Compass

Next day, I took my SUV to the service centre and inquired about the process of 3rd party insurance claim.

BHPian yashg recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

This happened in Mumbai on WEF near Jogeshwari. I was on my way and minding my own business. The car in front of me slowed down and I also slowed down and next I heard a thud from back. A Swift DZire had banged into my Compass' rear left.

The Jeep suffered bruises on the bumper and the panel above it. The DZire suffered significant damage to the fender and a headlight.

The man was on the phone and trying to change lanes. At first, he blamed me for slowing down suddenly (which I didn't). I took his number and told him he would have to pay for my damages. I asked to see his insurance copy, he said he didn't have it with him. Later I checked the dashcam footage and found he was on the phone while it happened. I sent him the footage and he still claimed I stopped suddenly.

I showed him the front dashcam footage which clearly showed there was a car ahead of me who slowed down so I had to slow down. He kept insisting that I claim my insurance and he would claim his. At one point he even claimed he didn't have third-party insurance. I was like, man if you really don't have third-party cover, how are you even driving your car?

Next day I took the car to Jeep ASC and they gave me an estimate of 42K. The bumper and the panel above as well as the indicator light would need to be replaced. I inquired about the process of claiming it on Swift owner's third-party insurance. The process is a nightmare.

The other car owner would have to initiate a claim on his policy, an FIR has to be filed, then a charge sheet has to be collected and a claim has to be submitted to a special court called Motor Accident Claims Tribunal. The court will pass an order for compensation which then has to be submitted to the service center to begin work. A long-winded process. It's much easier to just make an own damage claim and be done with it.

Luckily Landmark ASC has tied up with my car insurance company and so it would be a cashless claim. Claim was filed, survey was done and it was approved. I am told I would have to pay around 1.5K out of pocket. Would come to know the final amount after the work is done.

The Swift guy is refusing to pay any compensation. He says he also suffered major damage. But it was entirely his fault. He was talking on the phone while driving. That's an offence. It's negligent, dangerous driving. Because of his mistake, I lost the NCB, time and money. Our roads are full of such people and they cause damage to themselves as well as to others.

The dashcam footage made it easier to get the claim approved without fuss. I have two dashcams - DDPAI Mini at the rear and Viofo A119 Mini 2 at the front. I would recommend dual dashcams to everyone. Make sure it has GPS. The Viofo has GPS so I could get the exact location from it using my own creation Cam Geo Player.

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