Allianz General Insurance Company (Malaysia) Berhad (Allianz General) is seeking PIAM Approved Repairers Scheme (PARS) workshops nationwide via open tender to join its panel of Allianz Authorised Repairers for 2023 and 2024.
The last time the company revamped its panel workshops was in 2020, during which time 195 PARS workshops were engaged through an open tender process.
The Allianz Authorised Repairers are an integral part of the company’s Allianz Road Rangers 24-hour accident service, which has served over 330,000 customers since its launch in 2017.
For the protection of all road-users, there is a law which is applied in most countries for all motor vehicles and that is insurance coverage. In order to use a motor vehicle on a public road, it must have insurance coverage that provides for compensation to other parties involved in an accident with it. The minimum is what is known as third-party insurance which compensates only other parties but not the vehicle owner.
Under Section 90 (1) of the Malaysian Road Transport Act 1987, the owner of a vehicle operated on public roads must have insurance coverage for the vehicle. Not doing so means there can be a fine of up to RM 1,000 and even going to jail for up to 3 years. So every year, motorists (and motorcyclists) renew their insurance policies which is also required in order to get another year of roadtax. But there are some who either forget (a weak excuse) or simply do not have insurance coverage for their vehicle, perhaps because they don’t want to spend the money (or cannot afford it).
All vehicles used on public roads must have insurance coverage, which is also mandatory in order to obtain for roadtax renewal.
Compensation for victims
It may seem like that’s their problem if their car is involved in an accident and has to be repaired since they will have to pay from their own pocket. But what about the other party, if they crashed into another vehicle or worse, knocked someone down? If their vehicle is insured, then the other party can claim for compensation from the insurance company. If there is no insurance coverage, who to claim from? The only people who get anything will be the police who collect the fine, which does not go to the victim anyway.
There are no statistics available to show how many vehicles involved in accidents have had no insurance coverage but for someone who is the victim involved, it can be a nightmare since there is no one to claim from. You could get a lawyer to sue the vehicle owner but that will take time and money and he might not be able to pay too.
The Motor Insurers Bureau of West Malaysia
Fortunately, in Malaysia, there is a way to get some form of compensation and that is from the MIB (no, not the Men in Black!) which is the Motor Insurers Bureau of West Malaysia. This bureau, which is not an insurance company, was established in January 1968 after an agreement was signed between the general insurance companies and the Transport Ministry to provide compensation for accidents involving uninsured vehicles. Apparently, the agreement includes Singapore and East Malaysia as well.
The aim of establishing the MIB was to ensure that victims get some compensation and assistance for their injuries resulting from the accident if the vehicle was uninsured.
The MIB will receive claims for compensation but as with any claim, there are procedures to be followed and the claim must be made within 3 years from the date of the accident. The claimant must also notify the MIB about the case within 30 days of filing the action and must furnish all the relevant documents. These would be a description of the accident, police reports, medical report and so on. Details of the vehicle that hit you or your vehicle must also be provided.
However, an important thing to note is that the compensation is for injuries you sustain to your body and there is no compensation given for repairs to the damaged vehicle. And if your phone was damaged as a result of the accident, that too won’t be compensated by the MIB. The aim of having the MIB is to ensure that victims are still provided with compensation to help them with medical expenses, which could be substantial in some cases.
The compensation from the MIB does not cover repairs for the damaged vehicle or for losses or damage to any property inside.
How to contact the MIB
The address of the Motor Insurers Bureau of West Malaysia is Wisma PIAM, No. 150-3, 3rd Floor, Jalan Tun Sambanthan, Brickfields, 50782, Kuala Lumpur. Phone: 03-2274 7395. You do not need a lawyer to submit your claim, but you will be asked to make a payment of RM100 to cover their admin and investigation costs.
Motordata Research Consortium Sdn Bhd (MRC) has signed agreements with Thatcham Research, Proton Holdings Bhd and The General Insurance Association of Malaysia (PIAM) at its annual symposium to help improve vehicle repair and claims processing in the country.
Under the new agreement with Thatcham Research, MRC will license software that will be able to aid in standardising claims of motor vehicle insurance. This could help streamline the process, which will make things easier both for consumers and manufacturers. In the agreement that it made with Proton, MRC also has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the local automaker to research and distribute data on local vehicle repair times. Such data will provide a clearer picture of vehicle repair information in the country and will help lower the cost of repair works but boost quality as well.
Steve Miller, CEO of the MRC said, “The new agreements will bring great benefit in terms of giving us a benchmark and standards for motor vehicle repair and claims processing, especially once the motor insurance is fully liberalized in July. I am very happy to continue extending our collaboration with Thatcham Research, whereby the MRC can leverage the experience and expertise that Thatcham already has in this industry”.
Through the three agreements, MRC is committed to be the sole provide in data collection for the insurance industry. As a means to cement that notion, it has singed an extended agreement with PIAM to provide training and accreditation programs for employees in the motor vehicle repair industry. These accreditations come with an international award from the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI).
MRC has been conducting regular training programs in vehicle damage assessment since 2012. The programmes are certified by the IMI and are said to be globally recognized. The company is also working towards accrediting the entire industry here in Malaysia by the end of 2017 as part of its ‘Duty of Care’ quality standards.
We can only hope that these efforts eventually trickle down to us, car buyers, making it easier and more affordable to claim for vehicle repair costs from our motor vehicle insurance providers.
