Pitfalls when drawing up a European protocol. Registration of an accident according to the European protocol Where to get the Europrotocol form

The Europrotocol allows you to register an accident without involving traffic police officers. The procedure is possible when both parties have agreed on the circumstances of the accident and one of the parties is ready to voluntarily take responsibility.

Definition of the Europrotocol

The Europrotocol is a road accident notification form, using which the parties to the road accident can independently record the fact of the accident. Drawing up a European accident report is necessary, first of all, to subsequently receive payments from the insurance company. A correctly completed form allows the injured party to repair the car free of charge at the expense of insurance compensation.

The practice of using the European protocol was introduced in 2009. In 2017, amendments were made to the document, the document became more convenient and relevant for drivers.

The use of the European protocol is not permitted in all cases; some DPT circumstances require calling the traffic police. The legislation provides for the following conditions under which independent registration of the European protocol is possible:

Innovations

The State Duma is considering amendments to the Law on Compulsory Motor Insurance - a European protocol can now be issued if the estimated damage is not 50, but 100 thousand rubles.

1. The accident involved 2 cars (no more, no less).
2. As a result of the accident, only the participants' cars were damaged and no other property was damaged.
3. There were no injured individuals.
4. The parties to the accident agreed on the circumstances and causes of the accident.
5. One of the parties admitted to being at fault for the accident.
6. Damage to the victim's car was caused in the amount of no more than 50 thousand (for regions) or 400 thousand (for Moscow, St. Petersburg, Moscow and Leningrad regions) rubles.

If any circumstance is not observed, you need to call the traffic police to register the incident. It is also worth paying attention to whether the parties will be able to independently record the circumstances of the accident, correctly draw up a protocol and assess the damage to the victim’s car. We'll look at how to do this below.

Advantages and disadvantages of the Europrotocol

A clear advantage of registering a European protocol is the speed of registration. Drivers do not need to wait for traffic police officers, while leaving their cars in one position on the roadway. In case of minor damage, this is very convenient, because after filling out the fields of the protocol, the parties can immediately go about their business. The European protocol also minimizes the risk of traffic jams and other inconveniences for passing motorists due to the fact that cars involved in an accident will remain on the roadway for no more than a few minutes.

The disadvantages of filing an accident yourself are as follows:

1. There are restrictions on the legal execution of the Euro protocol (they are described above).
2. If the document is incompletely filled out, the procedure for its further transfer to the insurance company is not followed, the damage to the victim’s car is incorrectly assessed, or there are contradictions in the sample protocols of the victim and the culprit, non-payment of insurance compensation and other losses are possible.

Based on the above, we can generalize that the use of the European protocol is relevant only in case of a certain type of accident, if the parties have agreed on the circumstances of the accident and are sufficiently experienced drivers to correctly assess the specified circumstances, as well as the damage caused to the vehicle. In all other cases, you will need the help of traffic police officers.

Watch the video about misconceptions about the European protocol:

Euro protocol form

Additional Information

The road accident notification form consists of 3 A4 pages, stapled together. When filling out the first page, all information is automatically copied to the second. Thus, drivers receive 2 absolutely identical copies of the document, which have equal legal force. The third page is instructions for filling out the document, which does not need to be saved.

The front page of the form consists of two identical sections, which must be filled out by both drivers in turn, indicating the requested information (information about the car, its owner, the person who was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident, insurance policy, damage to the vehicle, the nature of the vehicle’s movement before the accident and comments ). At the top of the form, the date, place and general circumstances of the accident (number of participants, witnesses, etc.) are indicated. Through joint efforts, drivers must clearly display the road accident diagram.

The reverse side of the forms provides a more detailed description of the circumstances of the accident and the characteristics of the vehicle.

Free forms of the European protocol can be obtained from the insurance company when concluding a contract. For convenience, it is better to always carry them with you. If both drivers have already used the issued forms, you can print out new ones yourself, since the document does not have any watermarks or other identification marks, and acquires legal force only if filled out correctly and signed by the parties to the accident. To obtain usable forms, simply download the sample below and print it in color or even black and white.

Filling out the notification form

To fill out the notification form, use a blue ballpoint pen. At the top of the document you need:

• indicate the location (address or route and kilometer number) and date of the accident,
• list witnesses (if any),
• indicate the absence of circumstances that prevent the independent registration of an accident (presence of victims or damaged property, except for the cars of participants in the accident).

The front side of the European protocol form is filled out by both drivers one by one. In this case, one of the drivers will be the driver of car A, the other will be the driver of car B. In accordance with this, an incident diagram is drawn up. It doesn’t matter which vehicle will be indicated by which letter. Both drivers must indicate:

• car make,
• registration certificate number,
• Name and address of the owner of the vehicle,
• own name, address, date of birth,
• driver's license number,
• name of the insurer,
• insurance policy number.

Then a diagram of the incident is drawn and both drivers assess what damage was caused to their vehicle as a result of the accident. The diagram must indicate the location and direction of movement of vehicles at the time of the accident, road markings, indicate the main and secondary roads, and road signs.

Did you know?

The Russian Union of Auto Insurers has developed a mobile application “Road Accident. Europrotocol". With its help, participants in an accident can record and promptly transmit to the insurer information about the accident and the damage caused to the vehicle. In particular, you can photograph cars and their damage, record the location and time of the accident, and so on.

After listing all the damage to the vehicle, it is advisable to add a note stating that hidden damage is possible, so that the insurance company does not refuse to pay for their elimination if such damage is further discovered.

After filling out all the fields, the document is certified by the signature of the parties.

If it becomes necessary to cross out and correct information on the form, the correction must be supported by the signatures of both parties.

The procedure for filling out the European protocol is as follows:

Procedure after registration of an accident

Within 5 working days after the accident, both parties must notify their insurance company of the accident. This can be done by handing over the Europrotocol form to the company’s office in person (with the obligatory receipt of a copy of the form with an acceptance mark) or by sending it by registered mail with acknowledgment of receipt. Failure to comply with this requirement may result in non-receipt for the victim and self-payment for repairs of the victim’s vehicle for the person responsible for the accident.

Also, the person at fault for the accident cannot repair the vehicle for 15 days after the accident, since the insurance company may require its provision for an examination in order to clarify the circumstances of the accident.

In the comments to the article you can ask questions about the European protocol

An article about why and how to file an accident according to the European protocol - tips and recommendations. At the end of the article there is a video about how to avoid mistakes when drawing up a European protocol.

The content of the article:

Even minor car accidents cause stress for drivers and raise dozens of questions: “Should I call the police?”, “Am I allowed to move my car?”, “When and how should I file a report?”... According to news agencies and insurance companies, more than 87% of car owners would not like to resort to the help of traffic inspectors in minor accidents, but are forced to do so for fear of making mistakes due to which the insurance company will refuse to pay.

The European protocol, which allows you to independently draw up a document about an accident, is a good solution in large cities.

While he was away, those who stood in kilometer-long traffic jams, waiting for the passage to clear, and people involved in an accident, who spent hours looking for the summoned representatives of the law, suffered.

What is the European protocol, what are the rules for its design and what pitfalls can await us? In simple terms, this is a document that records all the information about an accident. It is issued by the owners of vehicles involved in an accident mainly for insurance companies, because liability before the law in the event of minor damage to equipment and the absence of corpses/seriously wounded people is minimal.

• If you get into this kind of trouble, a participant in an accident must:
• check yourself for injuries;
• ensure the well-being of your companions;
• place emergency signs;
• talk with the other party;
• record all aspects of the accident.

Only two participating cars (a car with a trailer is perceived as one whole), the adequacy of drivers (sober, physically and mentally healthy) and the absence of seriously injured people (including pedestrians) and/or municipal facilities are necessary conditions for drawing up a European protocol. Otherwise, the “authorities” must be called.

In a conversation with the other party, it is necessary to find out that you have no claims against each other, except for property ones, adequately (and without disagreements) assess the degree of guilt and damage, have valid insurance policies and other necessary documents and agree to disperse peacefully.

As for the “aspects of the accident,” we need photographs and videos, data from the recorders of both parties and witnesses, written testimony from onlookers and passers-by, passport data of everyone who participated in the incident and observed it from the side.

Capture everything that may be related to the accident: a general view of the accident from different angles (including from afar, preferably with road signs and traffic lights in the frame), braking distance (measure and photograph), chipped paint, broken mirrors and other damaged parts, tire treads (so as not to be accused of driving on unsuitable or worn-out tires), car owners and passengers (preferably at full length in order to avoid possible claims for injuries later) and other things that you find worthy of attention.

You can add interviews with passers-by to the case. Carry with you a large notebook and several pens - this way you can quickly distribute pieces of paper to others, asking them to write their full name, date, time and a few words about the incident. At least in the form of “the blue Zhiguli was waiting at a traffic light, and the red Zaporozhets ran into them from behind.”

The more materials you have on hand, the calmer you will feel. Remember that the equipment containing the recording of the accident must be presented to the experts in its original form; the data cannot be rewritten to another medium - this gives insurers the right to challenge their authenticity. You will have to spend time and money on an independent examination, but it is not a fact that this will help.

Filling out the protocol

After you and your opponent have come to the conclusion that the intervention of law enforcement is not required, and have done all of the above, clear the roadway and begin writing the European protocol. A form consisting of two joined sheets is issued by the insurer upon conclusion of the contract. Instructions included. After using up yours, stop by your insurance company office and ask for a new one.

All data on the front side is automatically printed (self-copied) on a second copy, then the form is separated and the back side is filled out. It doesn’t matter whose form will be used (the culprit or the victim), but make sure that your vision of the event does not disagree with your opponent (otherwise you will have to call the government services). In the appropriate columns indicate:

• location of the incident (in detail, down to the number of the neighboring house or kilometer on the highway);
• date and time;
• number of participants in the accident (no more than 2);
• “no” in the column about dead and wounded (if there are any, a European protocol cannot be drawn up);
• “no” in the paragraph on medical examination;
• “no” in the clause about damage to other vehicles;
• eyewitness information with full name, address and telephone number;
• “no” in the paragraph on drawing up a protocol by traffic police officers (even if they themselves are participants in the accident);
• information about both cars and their owners;
• information about the insurance company and the current MTPL policy (or “Green Card” for foreign guests);
• indicate the location of the first impact with an arrow;
• a list of damage - visible and hidden, indicating the nature (crack, chip, dent, rupture);
• the perceived degree of guilt of both parties;
• details describing the moment of the accident;
• a detailed diagram of the accident with the direction of movement of both vehicles, positions during the collision and after it.

Filled out? Check and both sign. You design the second page in splendid isolation, just like your neighbor. Indicate:

• your own vehicle (“A” or “B” - you designated it that way when filling out the first page of the protocol);
• circumstances of the incident with a brief description of the collision and the events preceding it (again, indicate the date, time, address, etc.);
• information about who was driving the car at the time of the accident;
• Is the car able to move under its own power after the accident?
• Availability of relevant written materials, photographs and videos.

An autograph and date complete the document. Write calmly, legibly, try to avoid errors and corrections of any kind, so as not to be denied compensation for damage on their basis. Do not leave any column empty - fill it with a dash or the letter “Z”. Add anything that does not fit into the main description into the “Appendix”. Signatures of both parties must be on all important points.

Did you manage? Shake hands and go home. Don't forget to quickly send the document to the insurer's office (you have 5 working days). Be mentally prepared for vehicle inspections by representatives of the insurance company or other experts. You will have to wait 15 calendar days to repair the car or ask permission from the insurer.

When the victim receives financial compensation, he will not be able to make any claims against the culprit for this incident, except to file a claim, alleging harm to health that was not noticeable at the time of the accident and subsequently appeared. It is difficult to prove this, but some people who like to get on their nerves never give up pleasure, so in case of an accident, exchange receipts for no claims in the future.

Who can help with paperwork?

Many drivers are still afraid to fill out a European protocol on their own for fear of making a mistake, as a result of which the insurance company will refuse to pay. Driving schools have started teaching how to independently register accidents, and those who have not undergone special training are offered hotline and call center services.

Operators work around the clock and, in addition to processing documents, can help with finding parking lots and public transport stops, and will also tell you where to send an appeal, complaint or suggestion. Check with any auto inspector or insurer for the latest service numbers in your region.

People can still exercise their civil rights and call the traffic police to the scene of an accident. At least in theory. If there are no victims and no more than two cars are involved, they are strongly recommended to sort it out on their own, without resorting to the services of the traffic police.

On the one hand, innovations make life easier for drivers, eliminating additional stress from communicating with not always loyal representatives of the law and reducing the time required to register an accident.

But, adding two plus two, we see that the traffic police authorities have simply relieved themselves of an unnecessary burden, because there are significantly fewer bloody accidents on the roads than ordinary collisions. If the workload is reduced, the number of employees can also be reduced. There will be much fewer police patrols on the roads. A lot of their functions will be taken over by drivers and automatic traffic recording cameras.

Saving budget funds is, of course, wonderful, but drivers will begin en masse to hide license plates under a layer of dirt and drive without fear of stationary cameras and other people's video recorders. There will be no one to stop them, and the punishment for an unreadable license plate is ridiculous - you can brazenly provoke an emergency. Ultimately, respectable citizens on the roads will receive a large-scale “hello from the 90s.”

Let's also touch on the financial side. Currently, European protocols give the right to compensation for losses only up to 50,000 rubles (in Moscow, St. Petersburg and adjacent areas - up to 400,000).

Insurers promise to consider increasing the amount of payments, but in the meantime they convince car owners that most accidents fall within 50 thousand and there is no need for a larger amount to repair cracks in the bumper and barely noticeable scratches.

Yes, this is a solution for a person driving a shabby Lada. But sometimes even a trivial accident costs a pretty penny: just replacing deployed airbags can cost more, not to mention damaging expensive parts of luxury cars. What the insurance could not cover, the victims will recover from the culprit. Through the court or bandits.

Legislative bodies, the Ministry of Finance and insurers continue to finalize the rules and calculations as part of the registration of minor accidents under the European protocol. Plans for the near future contain three important innovations.

1. This protocol will apply to accidents involving more than two cars.
2. It can be issued even if the drivers do not agree on determining the culprit of the accident and its circumstances.
3. From July 1, 2018, the amount of payments in most regions of the Russian Federation should increase from 50 to 100 thousand rubles. But this provision will be valid provided that vehicles have modern equipment and mobile applications, which in a sense should replace the traffic police, “linking” to the scene of an accident and informing the insurer about the accident in real time.

Many Russians are worried that all this could provoke chaos on the roads. Car owners are taught to be independent and respectable, but there are many who want to get insurance “out of the blue” and deliberately create an emergency situation.

It is unlikely that such progressive innovations will appeal to respectable drivers. But the traffic police officers are delighted - the workload on them has decreased significantly, which is good news, especially taking into account some reduction in personnel. They are most interested in the promotion and development of new practices, because with the growth of the country’s vehicle fleet, the number of “minor” road accidents has increased several times in just one decade after the introduction of compulsory motor liability insurance.

Despite everything, the popularity of the Euro protocol is growing. According to RSA, if before the introduction of amendments to the rules of the road (in particular, to the procedure for registering a traffic accident), about 12 thousand participants in road accidents used it monthly, then currently (as of the end of 2017 - beginning of 2018) their number increased to 38 thousand per month.

The share of accidents registered under the European protocol in Moscow was about 6% until July 2017, and already in October exceeded 21%. At the moment, in some regions of the Russian Federation the figure reaches 46-55%, and by mid-2018, according to forecasts, it should reach 62-68%.

Video on how to draw up a European protocol without errors:

In small accidents, the damage is often disproportionate to the time it takes to file an accident report. The solution was the European protocol, which is filled out on the spot by the participants in the incident themselves without involving the traffic police. There are many advantages here: firstly, there will be no fine for causing an accident, secondly, it will take no more than fifteen to twenty minutes, thirdly, passing drivers will not cast evil glances at you - they say that a traffic jam has been created here due to... for scratches on the bumper.

There are also quite a few complications: either there is no form, or the maximum stipulated amount is then not enough to cover the damage. Nikolai Gomin, director of the Avtolot auction for the sale of wrecked cars with CASCO, explained all the nuances of the European protocol. By the way, now the maximum payment amount is 400 euros, there is a discussion about raising the limit up to 1000 euros. Increasing the threshold to a thousand euros will allow you to register accidents with larger damages without the traffic police, which will also save your time.

The first problem that drivers face is the lack of this document itself. You can get it from your insurance company, but when you take out a motor vehicle or CASCO policy, usually no one remembers the European protocol. In case of minor accidents, people would be happy to draw up a document and quickly leave for business, but they simply do not have the form. It is better to take several copies from the insurer at once. They are issued free of charge, and will definitely not be superfluous. We were convinced of this when we drew up a document for an impromptu accident, having done everything correctly only the third time (read about this in the second part of the material). No blots or strikethroughs are allowed. Therefore, it is important that you always have several copies of the European protocol with you.

We make up an accident. There was a minor accident of almost new “state employees”, popular among Belarusians: Nissan Almera there's a backlog at the intersection Kia Rio, both sedans are 2014 models. The Kia's fender was scratched, and the Nissan's bumper was cracked. Cars are parked at a busy intersection - Masherov Ave. and st. Bogdanovich. If you leave the cars, a traffic jam will form in about fifteen minutes. You have a choice: either wait for the traffic police, who will come to you for some time, or fill out a European protocol.

You can draw up a document right at the scene of an accident, without moving cars. Important: immediately After an accident, all passengers must move to a safe place- on the curb or sidewalk. The driver must display a warning triangle. The sign should be placed not near the car, but 50-150 meters away, depending on the intensity of the flow and the speed of the cars. Otherwise, the consequences may be much worse than a dented door or a scratched fender. Remember, for example, the incident on the Moscow Ring Road in 2013, when a MAZ crashed into a broken down Daewoo Matiz - in that accident there could have been no fatalities if the driver and passenger of the faulty car had crossed the ring fence.

The main nuance is the injured and guilty parties must take photographs of the accident scene from different sides. It is necessary to film the position of the cars, road signs, several general shots of the accident, as well as damage from close range. The images should clearly indicate who caused the accident. It is necessary must be done before moving cars to the side of the road so as not to impede traffic, and draw up a European protocol. It may happen that you drive off, and the driver who caused the accident immediately declares that he is innocent and that you violated the traffic rules. Photos will be proof that you are right. There is also a nuance for the culprit: the victim may realize the next day that the repair costs more than 400 euros, drive the car to the scene of the accident, call the traffic police and say that the culprit has left the scene of the accident. At the same time, the culprit, in joy and with thoughts of “getting off easy,” could throw away the European protocol.

Let's return to the European protocol. The damage must be immediately assessed. This is not easy to do - many car owners do not know (and should not know) how much it costs to paint an element or a new headlight. In our example, the cars are almost new and are serviced at official services, so calling the dealer (service station) with a question about the cost of repairing the part will help determine the amount for restoring the damage. You should find out the total figure: work on removing, painting and installing the element. Also check the color of the car - the cost of work may vary for different shades. If the car is older, you don’t need a dealer - just call any body repair service. Just in case, look for the service on the website of the Belarusian Bureau of Transport Insurance. Then the insurance company will not have unnecessary questions for you if you decide to restore the car at one or another service station.

The main point when calling is to determine exactly whether 400 euros is enough for you or not. The stated amount is close to the maximum and there is no certainty that this money will be enough - it is better not to risk it and call the traffic police. If you meet the European protocol maximum, you simply fill out the form with the other participant in the accident and drive away.

A slightly different situation - when the car has CASCO. When submitting documents to the insurance company, a nuance appears. In CASCO policies there is a clause: “N calls without calling the traffic police.” Usually there are two or three of them. The filing of a European protocol means just such a case. If you exhaust the limit, in the future you will be able to report damage to the car only with a report from the State Traffic Inspectorate. Some insurance companies are willing to pay no more than 5% of the amount of the car for treatment without involving the traffic police. That is, even if your car is insured under CASCO, you will still receive no more than five percent of its value, because you did not call the traffic police to draw up documents about the accident. In the case of a “state employee”, like Nissan Almera or Kia Rio, 5% is about ten million rubles, which is approximately equal to the maximum payment under the European protocol. Only the owner of the car, who is indicated in the registration certificate, or a person who has a general power of attorney, contacts the insurance company. You need to have with you a completed European protocol, registration certificate, insurance policy, medical certificate (if you have CASCO insurance) and a technical inspection certificate.

Let's consider another situation: the person responsible for the accident was backing up and damaged the bumper of your car with a towbar. He drives away, the plastic suddenly straightens, leaving only a small scratch. There seemed to be no further damage. The victim arrives for service and is told that the internal fasteners are broken. Four hundred euros is not enough for repairs. If a European protocol was drawn up, the insurance company will not allocate more than this amount. You will have to pay extra out of your own pocket, or file a recourse claim against the person responsible for the accident in order to get the missing difference. Also, the insurance company under the CASCO system can file a recourse claim against the culprit if the cost of restoration work is more than 400 euros. It happens that participants in an accident incorrectly assess the damage and think that they got off lightly, and then they need to start legal proceedings. This often happens with new cars: it seems that the front grille is simply cracked, but then it turns out that it can only be replaced complete with a bumper, which costs more than 400 euros. Assess the damage correctly, which we wrote about above. This is important for both the culprit and the victim in an accident.

To the culprit accident needed keep the European protocol and photographs from the accident scene for three years. The injured party, seeing that the amount of repairs exceeds the payment limit under the European protocol, can throw away its copy of the document and contact the traffic police with a statement about the accident, the culprit of which has disappeared. If the driver who caused the accident has a completed European protocol, there will be no claims from the traffic police against the motorist. The period of responsibility under the State Traffic Inspectorate is two months. The established statute of limitations is three years, so it is better to keep the document with you all this time. When filing a recourse claim against you, the European protocol can be a good argument: the second driver agreed with the damage, and who knows, he suddenly “broke” some element for the sake of a larger payment.

There are several other important points. When people were injured and this must be recorded, you should contact the traffic police to register an accident. The car involved in the accident is registered in another country - again you cannot do without the State Traffic Inspectorate.

It turns out that the European protocol is a convenient and quick way to deal with a minor accident. But why do situations regularly occur when, due to a barely noticeable scratch, two out of three rows are blocked and huge traffic jams accumulate? The main reason is that people are afraid that they will not receive insurance payments. In addition, many do not have forms with them. The document itself is double, but you only need to fill it out once: all the information is pressed onto the second page - therefore, by the way, it is better to write with strong pressure. After filling out the European protocol, you need to carefully check all the recorded data - not only yours, but also the other parties. In case of any inaccuracies, the insurance company will not accept the document and, of course, there will be no payment.

“Personally, minor accidents happened to my car twice. And the European protocol was tested in action. It's really convenient. In one case, after we cleared the lanes, the driver who hit me said he was innocent. “They saved the photographs from the scene of the accident, which I took immediately after the accident,”- says Nikolai.

We invite you, dear readers, to try your hand at filling out the European protocol. Simulate a minor accident - for example, you stopped at a traffic light, but the car behind you did not have time and hit the bumper of your car. Print out a copy of the form and fill it out with a colleague, relative or friend. In a few days we will publish a continuation of the article, which will be devoted to correct drafting of the European protocol- and then you will know whether you can get 400 euros of insurance or not. Perhaps this will be useful in the future. After all, as you know, it is better to suffer during training exercises and feel confident during combat.

Stanislav Ivaneyko

The term “Europrotocol” has been known to car enthusiasts in Russia, Ukraine and other CIS countries for many years.

For the first time, such a document appeared in Europe, where registration of accidents without the involvement of the police has been used for a long time.

If we characterize the Europrotocol from several angles, then it is worth highlighting two definitions:

1. Europrotocol is a form made in a special form and represents a Notification of a traffic accident on the road involving vehicles. The participants in the accident themselves fill out the document. A European Protocol drawn up in accordance with the rules is a guarantee that the injured party will receive insurance compensation.
2. Europrotocol is a road accident registration system that allows drivers to fill out paperwork at the scene of an accident without involving traffic police officers. Today, the Europrotocol is the basis for receiving payments under compulsory motor liability insurance.

What accidents are registered using the Euroreport?

In order for the Europrotocol to be valid and allow you to receive payments under compulsory motor liability insurance, the following requirements must be met:

1. There should be no physically injured parties in an accident.
2. The accident involved two vehicles (excluding trailers). If one vehicle or more than two are involved in an accident, then the involvement of traffic police officers is mandatory.
3. No damage was caused to other property (including state property).
4. Both motorists who found themselves at the center of events have an MTPL policy, and the drivers themselves are included in them.
5. Both sides agree on the interpretation of the event and the damage to the vehicles.
6. Participating drivers deliberately go about registering an accident without involving the traffic police service and register the event themselves.

It is worth noting that the registration of the European OSAGO protocol is mandatory with the consent of both parties. Doubts about the circumstances of the accident or the guilt of the other driver are reasons to call a traffic police officer to draw up a report using a standard form.

What are the details of the form?

The Europrotocol is a form prepared to be filled out by participants in events on the road.

It contains information about the road accident, the number of injured or killed, data on vehicles and participants in the events.

The circumstances of the accident, the nature of damage to vehicles, information about the insurance company OSAGO and vehicles that were indirectly or directly involved in the events are also specified.

DOWNLOAD SAMPLE OF NOTIFICATION OF TRAFFIC ACCIDENT —

DOWNLOAD THE ROAD ACCIDENT NOTIFICATION FORM —

Where is it issued?

The Euro Protocol form is issued by the insurance company when issuing the next MTPL policy.

If such a form has not been issued, it can be taken separately. To do this, you should contact the insurance company with a corresponding request.

As a last resort, the notice is available on the Internet for downloading. The downside is that the downloaded form does not have a self-copying function, and you will have to fill out two versions of the protocol separately.

There is an opinion that the use of only the version of the Euro Protocol that was issued by the insurance company is permitted. But that's not true.

The self-copy option is optional. Drivers will simply have to fill out two protocols manually, which will take more time.

In addition, there is a risk of the insurer refusing to make payments if an “extraneous” Europrotocol is provided. Then you will have to prove your rights in court.

Advantages and disadvantages of the Europrotocol

Despite the positive nature of the innovation, the Notice has pros and cons.

The advantages include:

1. Saving time for drivers who find themselves in an unpleasant situation. If you call the traffic police, you have to wait up to 3-5 hours, which makes you very nervous and loses a lot of time.
2. The procedure for receiving money from an insurance company under compulsory motor liability insurance is simpler (subject to compliance with the registration rules, which will be discussed below).
3. There is a chance to come to an agreement with the other participant in the accident, fill out a protocol and go about your business.

The disadvantages of drawing up the Europrotocol are not immediately noticeable, but only after the registration of insurance payments from compulsory motor liability insurance.

The following situations are worth considering:

1. The cars hit their bumpers and at first glance the damage was minor. But when visiting a service station, it is discovered that in addition to the bumper, other mechanisms have also been damaged - the integrity of the bumper fastening is broken, the headlight fastener is damaged, broken, and so on. In such a situation, the amount of damage is higher, and problems begin for everyone - the culprit and the injured party.
2. In the event of an accident and the Europrotocol is drawn up, the guilty party is obliged to report the situation to the insurer. If this has not been done within 5 days, then the Investigative Committee has the formal right to present regressive demands to the guilty party. This means that the funds will not be collected from the insurance company, but from the pocket of the participant in the accident.
3. Once the Europrotocol is drawn up and submitted to the Investigative Committee, there is no turning back. So before making a final decision, you should weigh the pros and cons.
4. There are situations when an inspector came and, looking at the damage, forced us to draw up a Europrotocol. Subsequently, the injured party is sent to the Investigative Committee, where it turns out that the damage exceeded the permissible norm. To avoid such problems, you should not listen to the inspectors, because they are not able to fully assess the level of damage to the car.
5. If the Europrotocol is filled out incorrectly or when the parties do not sign, the paper is considered invalid and it will no longer be possible to receive compensation for it. There are situations when the guilty party deliberately “makes a mistake,” so every step should be monitored personally.

Conditions for registering an accident and obligations of the guilty party

The main conditions for registration using the Europrotocol are as follows:

1. In order for the necessary information to be printed on the second copy, filling must be done using a ballpoint pen. The use of a pencil or gel pen is prohibited (such inscriptions will be erased over time).
2. The handwriting of the form must be legible, and the letters should preferably be printed.
3. The data is entered carefully. Marks and corrections in records are undesirable.
4. If there is no space on the form, you should use another sheet of paper. In this case, a note is made on the main Europrotocol indicating the presence of an annex. On a blank sheet of paper, “Annex” is written on top, indicating the person by whom it was drawn up.

When drawing up a Europrotocol, the person responsible for the accident has a number of obligations:

1. Participate in filling out the Notification of an accident with the injured party.
2. Enter the necessary information on your Europrotocol sheet (on the reverse side).
3. Send a personal copy to the insurance company (the address to which the shipment is made is indicated on the policy). The dispatch period is up to five days from the moment of the accident. Better - earlier.
4. Do not make repairs or dispose of the car for 15 days (excluding holidays) from the moment of the accident. This is required to enable the Investigative Committee to inspect the vehicle and assess the extent of damage.
5. Present the car to the insurer for inspection within five days (if required).

Limits and payment restrictions

When issuing a Notice, it is worth considering a number of restrictions regarding payments.

So, if an accident is registered without the involvement of traffic police officers, then the amount to be paid was 25 thousand rubles.

Since August 2015, changes have been made to the Law on Compulsory Motor Liability Insurance (MTPL), and the volume of payments under the Euro Protocol has been increased to the level of 50 thousand rubles.

The sequence of drawing up the Euro Protocol and the rules for filling out the road accident diagram.

The notice is filled out in the following order:

1. When designing, only a ballpoint pen is used (this was already mentioned above).
2. Both drivers participate in filling out the notice. At the same time, everyone enters information in a personal column. In this case, which column each driver chooses does not matter.
3. The reverse side is filled out by each participant (the culprit and the victim) separately. The front side contains general information - date, place and time of the accident, information about the participants in the events. In addition, information about insurers, witnesses, the nature of the damage, the circumstances of the accident, and so on is provided.

Particular attention should be paid to paragraph 14, which indicates the list and nuances of damage received by the car. The important thing here is to be concise and clearly state the defects. It is allowed to use terms such as deformation, scratch, dent and others.

In paragraph 16, both participants on the relevant side enter the circumstances of the accident and reflect the maneuvers of the car.

Here it is worth considering the following points:

• The parking lot is not a stop. If a car stops at a traffic light, then this is a stop (for a minimum time), and not a parking lot, as many indicate;
• If, when overtaking, one vehicle overtook another, while changing lanes, then it is worth noting both points - overtaking and changing lanes.

4. After filling, both copies must be separated.

5. Both participants are required to sign the front of the Europrotocol. It is important to ensure that each driver signs two versions of the protocol, and not just the personal part of the paper.

When drawing up the Europrotocol, it is worth considering a number of other points:

• If the notice does not contain enough information or the information entered is difficult to read, then the insurance company will have to personally collect the necessary data, which affects the timing of payments and, possibly, the fact of the payment itself;
• The information is written neatly, without errors or corrections. If there is no information in the column, then the letter Z is indicated;
• When making changes, adjustments are allowed, but with mandatory notes from participants;
• If the second driver does not want to sign the Europrotocol or fill it out together, then you will have to call a traffic police officer. Otherwise, the papers will be considered invalid and will not be accepted by the insurance company.

Particular attention should be paid to paragraph 17 - the road accident diagram. The following information is reflected here:

• Contours of the roadway with the obligatory indication of the names of roads, streets, and so on;
• The direction of movement of each of the participating vehicles, as well as the final position of the vehicles;
• Road signs, traffic lights, signs, road markings and objects that may in one way or another affect the interpretation of events.

Confirmation of the correctness of the entered data is the signatures of the participants in the accident, which are installed at the bottom of the notice.

Answers on questions

What to do after an accident when applying for a Europrotocol?

If the participants in the accident decide to register the event using a Notification, then you should complete the following steps:

After this, the driver has the right to leave the scene.

What to do after filling out the Europrotocol? When should I contact the IC?

The European OSAGO protocol form, completed in two copies, should be sent to the insurance company within five working days from the date of the accident.

The injured party also sends a personal copy along with an application for coverage of losses (OSAGO) for car repairs. The message is sent by fax, registered mail or in person.

Is it allowed to leave the scene of an accident after filling out the Europrotocol?

If the Notice is drawn up in compliance with the rules and the participants in the accident agree with the information specified in the papers, confirming this fact with signatures, then there is no need to remain at the scene of the events. At the same time, it is worth remembering the need to notify the insurance company about the event.

Does the guilty party have the right to challenge the European OSAGO Protocol that he signed?

Situations on the road are different and the main problem of motorists is the lack of knowledge of traffic rules.

Thus, when filling out the protocol, the “injured” party could indicate another participant in the accident as “guilty” and the second person agreed with the statement.

But then the “culprit” comes home, reviews the events and realizes that he is the injured party. In such a situation, is it possible to change the current role and challenge the Notice?

As practice shows, this is difficult to do, because the Europrotocol system itself is just taking root in the Russian Federation, and legislative norms are still under development.

Immediately after amendments are made to the MTPL Law, corresponding clarifications should appear. For now, it is not possible to answer this question.

Is an emergency commissioner needed when filing a Road Accident Notification?

Previously, it was believed that the presence of an emergency commissioner when registering an accident was a plus, because it speeds up problems at the scene.

If participants in an accident do not call an inspector, then they can ask an emergency commissioner to come, who will explain unclear points and help with the registration. Of course, this service is not provided free of charge.

In practice, the situation is different. Drivers who do not plan to waste time waiting for the inspector will not want to wait for the emergency commissioner.

The essence of the European OSAGO Protocol is to simplify the procedure and resolve issues on the spot.

Thus, the need for emergency commissioners is decreasing every year. At the same time, not a single insurer calls emergency commissioners (even if such a service is available).

Important points

Europrotocol and CASCO.

In many insurance companies, registration of the Europrotocol was not provided for in order to receive payments under CASCO.

Here it was obligatory to call inspectors and formalize the events on the road.

By the way, it was for this reason that the Europrotocol was so slow to become part of the adopted system.

But from October 1, 2014, the use of Europrotocol technology in MTPL and CASCO became mandatory.

The norms of the Law on Compulsory Motor Liability Insurance in terms of the “Euro Protocol” (2014).

Euro protocol and non-contact road accidents.

Non-contact accidents are understood as accidents in which one participant creates an obstacle for another participant in the movement, as a result of which the second’s car gets into an accident with subsequent damage to property (personal or third party). At the same time, the vehicles themselves do not “meet” each other.

In such a situation, completing the Europrotocol is not recommended, because the Accident Notice can only be filled out if two vehicles are involved in the accident. Here this condition is not met.

In addition, when clarifying the circumstances at the stage of legal proceedings, a trace examination may be required.

You will also need a diagram drawn up by a traffic police officer at the scene.

We hope that we have helped you understand the question of what the Europrotocol is and how to use it.

According to the new rules on direct compensation for losses, you can file an accident without traffic police inspectors. This becomes possible if the damage does not exceed 25,000 rubles. But remember that if additional, hidden damage is discovered later, this money may not be enough.

As a rule, insurers do not want to fully compensate for damage and deliberately underestimate the assessment results. Their main trump card is the lack of a unified assessment methodology. In fact, “independent” experts can write an assessment methodology themselves and work successfully using it. The situation is unlikely to change with the introduction of direct settlement of losses and the European protocol, when victims will be able to apply for payment to their insurance company. It’s just that now companies will agree among themselves how much to pay the client.

You can use the European OSAGO protocol only under very many conditions:

• The accident involved only two vehicles;
• No harm to health;
• The amount of damage does not exceed 25 thousand rubles. If the repairs turn out to be more expensive, then even through the court it will be almost impossible to compensate for the damage, because the accident has not been registered with the traffic police.
• Also, the simplified registration of road accidents does not apply to the so-called “surroundings”.

In connection with the innovation, insurers are afraid of a surge in fraud, and everyone will be suspected. It is quite possible that you will have to prove your good faith in court. So it will not be possible to relieve traffic jams on the roads due to minor accidents using the European protocol. To avoid problems, car owners will have to file collisions in the old way.

Cunning scheme

Typical situation: in the morning, at rush hour, a minor accident occurred (damage less than 25,000 rubles). More than 80% of urban accidents are minor, and inspectors are the last to attend to them. And our drivers are late for work and simply cannot wait several hours for the IDPS to arrive.

The solution in this situation would be to use compulsory motor liability insurance. To do this, it is enough to fill out a notification of an accident, draw an approximate diagram of the accident there and get the signature of the second participant. After that, everyone takes the documents to their insurance company, because that’s where I determine the culprit. As you can see, traffic police officers are completely absent from this chain.

If the circumstances of the incident are not so obvious (there are disagreements), then you can go another way. Few people know that in Russia there has long been an alternative to the European protocol. The fact is that the rules allow you to draw up a diagram of the accident yourself, and then come to the nearest traffic police post, where further registration of the accident will be carried out. In this case, unlike the European protocol, you will receive real certificates, and the culprit of the accident will be determined not by the insurer, but by the investigator (investigation group). The main thing is to draw up a diagram very carefully, indicating the address, width of the roadway and location of cars. Every little detail matters here: the scattering of fragments, the condition of the road surface and weather conditions.

Remember, if there is even the slightest doubt or disagreement about the circumstances of the accident, then it is better to file everything in full and wait for the traffic police to arrive.