In France, motor vehicle liability insurance, also known as third party insurance, is mandatory. This allows you to protect the driver in case of material damage and bodily injury caused by another of his vehicles.

The Victims’ Guarantee Fund, which last year paid out compensation to at least 8,443 victims and relatives of 157 victims, has just released the results of its annual barometer, which focuses on practice driving without insurance.

Driving without insurance: who are they?

Driving without insurance is a practice that mainly affects young people : indeed, one in two uninsured drivers is under 30, and 14% of 18-30-year-olds admit to having driven without insurance. A worrying trend when we know that 47% of those responsible for injuries in 2022 were under the age of 34.

This overrepresentation of young people among the uninsured is explained, in particular, by the high cost of insurance for young novice drivers, heavy burden given the limited resources of some. In addition, one in two uninsured drivers has no or low income of their own, and the number of uninsured students has increased by 30% in 5 years.

But these numbers also show a trend toward accumulating traffic violations: indeed, research indicates that no less than 41% of young uninsured drivers involved in road accidents did not even have a driver’s license… As on June 7, 2023, the Victims’ Guarantee Fund launched a new preventive campaign which is aimed, in particular, at youth with the slogan “Driving without insurance is the worst option”.

Guarantee fund for victims: how does it work?

THE Guarantee fund for victims combines the Compulsory Loss Insurance Guarantee Fund (FGAO) and the Guarantee Fund for Victims of Terrorist Acts and Other Offenses (FGTI).

Since 1951, FGAO has provided benefits to victims of motor vehicle accidents caused by an uninsured or unidentified driver. In 2022, this organization cared for almost 8,443 injured victims and paid out almost €107 million in compensation during the same financial year.

After compensating the victims, the Guarantee Fund applies against the uninsured driver responsible for the accident to recover the sums paid: depending on the case, these sums can reach hundreds of thousands or even millions of euros.

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