Car Damage Compensation: Traffic police tows away a car parked in a no-parking zone. After this you have to pay a fine and get the vehicle released. Suppose your vehicle has been seized, but if the vehicle has been damaged while it was seized, then who will compensate for it? You were not driving the car nor did you own the car, so you would like to get compensation. If your vehicle was in the custody of the traffic police or towing service, can compensation be demanded from the police or towing service?
If the damage to the seized vehicle is due to the negligence of the traffic police, then the traffic police may have to bear the cost of the loss. For example, if the traffic police does not maintain the vehicle properly after impounding it and it causes damage to the vehicle, then traffic police May have to compensate for the loss. For this you will have to take refuge in the court.
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Who will compensate for the loss?
In India, the owner of the vehicle usually has to bear the cost of the damage to the seized vehicle. Some insurance companies can also give you claim on such damage, but it will depend on the terms and conditions of your insurance policy. You can go to court to get compensation from traffic police or tow service. If the court gives verdict in your favor then you will get appropriate compensation.
Additionally, if the seized vehicle is damaged due to some other accident, the person at fault for the accident may have to bear the cost of the damage. For example, if a seized vehicle collides with another vehicle, the owner of the colliding vehicle may have to bear the cost of the damage.
Claim on social media
A clip is going viral on social media in which it is being claimed that if the vehicle gets damaged after being towed, the police or tow service will give compensation. Section 160 of the Motor Vehicle Act has been cited in this clip. However, the information under Section 160 has been shown wrong in the clip.
Viral video on Instagram. (Credit: instagram.com/righttoshiksha)
Section 160 does not directly hold the police or any other authority responsible for compensating for the damage caused to the vehicle during seizure.
What does Section 160 of the Motor Vehicle Act say?
According to Section 160 of the Motor Vehicle Act, if an accident occurs and a person gets injured or dies in that accident, then it is necessary to give information about the vehicle involved in that accident. This information has to be given to the registering authority or the officer in charge of the concerned police station. The information given by the authority or police helps the victim in getting appropriate compensation.
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