​Claims of drivers who drive without valid RCA insurance will soon also be able to be made based on the review of images taken by road traffic cameras. The ASF told HotNews.ro that it is preparing to amend the RCA law in this regard, a project that could be submitted to the Ministry of Finance for adoption by the end of this year or early 2023.

The Financial Supervisory Authority’s (ASF) plans were announced following a question posed by PNL Senator Sorin Ioan Bumb last month.

He pointed to a problem that would have existed for several years, namely cars on the road without RCAs leading to price increases, and asked the ASF if it was going to change the legal framework so that drivers who drive without RCAs would be fined. and based on viewing images from traffic surveillance cameras.

What legislative changes is the RCA preparing for the ASF and what is the deadline from the EU

The leadership of the ASF responded to the senator this month, highlighting the fact that they are working to amend the RCA law in this regard, while also committing to transpose the EU Directive into national law:

“According to Art. 4 of Directive 2021/2118/CE1, Member States may carry out checks on compulsory motor civil liability insurance, provided that they are not discriminatory, are necessary and proportionate to achieve the intended objective, and also:

• a) be conducted as part of a control that is not aimed exclusively at checking insurance; or
• b) be part of the general system of control in the national territory, which is also carried out in relation to vehicles that are normally located in the territory of the Member State that carries out the control and does not require the stopping of the vehicle.

Taking into account the obligation of the member states to transpose the provisions of the above-mentioned directive into national legislation by December 23, 2023, we note that at the moment at the ASF level there is a draft law amending Law No. 2013. 132/2017, which proposes several solutions to support insured, injured persons and the insurance market in Romania as a whole.

Yes, as part of the project to amend the primary legislation we are considering introducing some provisions to check the availability/validity of RCA insurance using road traffic cameras intended both to protect people injured in traffic accidents and to alleviate the situation when drivers operate vehicles on public roads without valid RCA insurance.

After finalization and approval by the AFS Council, it will be sent to the Ministry of Finance for analysis and implementation of the right of legislative initiative.” this is shown in the ASF responses.

When will the draft law be ready and how will the RKA inspection work

HotNews.ro asked the ASF for details both on when the drafting of the law will be completed and on how the inspection of RCA policies with the help of traffic cameras will work more precisely.

• “The project will regulate the possibility of checking the validity of RCA insurance with the help of technical devices that are part of the electronic traffic control and management system at the local or national level, and the details of the implementation of this possibility will also be defined. later by the competent authorities to carry out inspections and apply sanctions for violations due to by-laws.
• This project, which is being worked on by specialized structures within the ASF, is planned to be completed and submitted for approval by the ASF Council with a view to its transfer to the Ministry of Finance by the end of 2022 or the beginning of 2023.” This was stated by ASF representatives for HotNews.ro.

About a similar project to check RCA insurances with the help of video cameras that check the wreckage they have been talking about it since 2019. ASF vice-president Christian Roseau, in charge of insurance, said at the time that it was an idea he took on, which he found interesting and which he is trying to bring to life.

Why has nothing materialized for so many years?

“We were talking about a number of legal barriers, mainly related to:

– the possibility of using these systems in the case of inspections carried out by the competent authorities for conducting these inspections;

– financing of these systems;

– development of applications necessary for the use of systems;

– management and exchange of information between authorities (GDPR).” ASF representatives now claim.

What projects do the Police and the Bureau of Auto Insurers have regarding traffic discipline

Given that the EU Directive requires RCA policy checks to be part of the overall control system in the national territory and not solely aimed at vehicle insurance checks, the latest plans of the Romanian traffic police should also be noted.

The police want to buy a GPS monitoring system for more than 10,300 cars, mainly Dacia Logan and Duster, and 200 cars will be equipped with LPR (License Plate Recognition) video cameras, a technology that allows you to recognize car registration numbers in less than a second.

Although RCA verification is not mentioned, the tender specification says that the LPR (License Plate Recognition) system is a video system that can identify vehicles of operational interest in real time or vehicles involved in criminal or illegal activity , or who is prosecuted under the law.

It would be natural for legislative changes in the field of RCA to also affect police traffic monitoring systems.

Another project in the same direction was announced in May this year by representatives of the Bureau of Automobile Insurers (BAAR).

At the time, they said Romanian police were testing a mobile app that would allow them to photograph and record license plates and find out in a fraction of a second, by connecting to AIDA’s database of RCA policies, whether the car is insured. or not.

COTAR member motor carriers then accused the Bureau of Motor Insurers (BAAR) of influence peddling for allegedly inviting police to test a program that would determine which cars were being driven without an RCA. While transporters blamed the lack of tender and protocol with the police, the Motor Bureau said the app, developed with its own private resources, would be provided to the police free of charge.

However, nothing has been heard about this program since then.

Meanwhile, BAAR has launched another digital app, friendlywith which drivers can fill out a settlement agreement form electronically.