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New Straits Times : No-fault liability scheme: Ridding the system of cheats PDF Print E-mail
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Monday, 14 September 2009 10:59

5 October 2007

 

by Darshan Singh

 CONGRATULATE the attorney-general for proposing the implementation of the no-fault liability scheme.

I believe this scheme would bring many benefits to consumers as all parties involved in a crash could get compensation as soon as possible.

The current system has been plagued by abuses.

Accident victims are shortchanged before the award reaches them and when the award does reach them, most of it goes towards fees. They are at the mercy of lawyers.

A high contingency fee is charged, although the Practice and Etiquette Rules forbids the charging of such fees.

Touts prey on accident victims.

Police and medical reports are manipulated to shift fault and inflate injuries.

Complaints have been received that interest is charged on money advanced to victims.

The scheme would clean up the mess.

The public must be informed of the mechanics of its implementation.

They would want to know how the scheme would be funded, what type of losses would be compensated, the cap on damages, the lead time before a claim is settled, and who will administer such schemes.