In Italy in 2010 the number of road accidents decreased, but also the number of insured cars decreased. Our country continues to combine an average cost per claim that is among the highest in Europe with an equally high frequency of accidents. These are the main elements that emerge from the latest surveys carried out by the National Association of Insurance Companies (Ania).
In 2010 the number of claims was equal to 3.070.201 units, showing a contraction of 9,1% compared to the previous year. The same trend is also recorded for the claims frequency which drops from 7,77% in 2009 to 7,37% the following year. This datum is obtained by making the ratio between all the accidents reported with follow-up (ie with compensation) and the vehicles exposed to the risk. This decrease represents a novelty since after three years in which the frequency had returned to progressively increase, 2010 shows a trend reversal. Last year's value is in fact close to that which emerged in 2006, ie before the entry into force of the compulsory direct compensation.
This dynamic can be explained above all by the persistence of the economic crisis, as also underlined by Vittorio Verdone, automotive director of Ania. "The number of cars in circulation has decreased slightly and, furthermore, in some cases minor claims are managed with self-liquidation, in order to prevent the insurance malus from increasing". In fact, it must be underlined how the increase in the price of fuel has led a fair portion of the population to reduce the use of the car.
The decrease in the number of claims was matched by an increase in the average cost of 3,74%, since it went from 3.903 euros in 2009 to 4.049 euros in 2010. Italy continues to present one of the highest cost per claim in Europe , as indicated by the latest survey carried out by the Cea in 2008: in Germany the average compensation is 3.300 euros, in France 3.500 euros, in our country almost 4.000 euros. Certainly this factor also had an impact on the decline in the number of insured cars. According to Vittorio Verdone, such a gap is essentially attributable “to the difference in legislation and regulations between us and the other states. In Italy, personal injury represents the largest component of compensation". In the motor liability sector, total compensation in 2010 was 14 billion and of these almost two thirds, i.e. more than 9 billion, concerned physical damage. In 2007, out of every 100 accidents that occurred, 21 indicated damage to the person, in 2008 the percentage reached 21,3% and in 2009 it stood at 21,8%. These figures are already well above the European average of 10%, but it must be added that the threshold of 40% has also been exceeded in some areas of the peninsula.
As mentioned, last year was also characterized by a decrease, on a national scale, of insured vehicles. In some regions, especially the Centre-South and the islands, this decrease was higher than in the rest of the country. However, these are precisely those geographical areas that have always shown a higher frequency of claims than the national average. How are these two factors related? The regions where this phenomenon is most evident are Campania, Puglia, Calabria and Sicily. Precisely those realities that have been hit most intensely by the unfavorable economic situation. The enormous drop in incomes in those areas has led to the spread of fraudulent and speculative phenomena in the insurance world, as well as having led some citizens to circulate with uninsured vehicles. A choice that has certainly guaranteed a moderate saving, but which in any case constitutes a violation of a legal obligation with all the legal and pecuniary consequences of the case.
And it is precisely recent data that certifies this situation. On 2 February, the Minister for Economic Development, Paolo Romani, sounded the alarm. Almost 7% of cars driving in Italy do not have insurance coverage. This is about 3 million out of the 45 million traveling along Italian roads. The situation in the South is then increasingly worrying. Suffice it to say that 60% of accidents involving uninsured cars occur in the South, 40% in Campania alone. Overall, to get out of this vicious circle, it is necessary to understand whether the violations are due to the increase in tariffs or whether it is the increase in non-compliant vehicles that causes the growth in motor liability. Perhaps the answer lies somewhere in between.
