The Supreme People's Court Clarifies Compensation Protection for Victims of “Door-Opening” Accidents
New compensation rules for door-opening accidents clarify the responsibility of passengers, and both compulsory traffic insurance and commercial third-party liability insurance may provide compensation Victims have stronger protection in defending their rights, and courts support claims under the new rules, reducing accident losses
On May 6, the Supreme People's Court released the "Interpretation on Several Issues Concerning the Application of Law in the Trial of Cases Involving Compensation for Damages from Road Traffic Accidents (II)", providing further clarification on "dooropening" accidents, in which a person is injured or suffers damage when a motor vehicle door is opened.
According to the new rules, if the victim argues that the liability of the passenger falls under the liability of the motor vehicle party and requests that the insurance company compensate within the mandatory traffic accident liability insurance coverage limit and in accordance with the commercial thirdparty liability insurance contract, the court should uphold such a claim.
The judicial interpretation also makes clear that if insurance compensation is still insufficient to cover the losses, the passenger and the driver shall bear the corresponding liability for compensation in accordance with the law. This provision aims to further protect the lawful rights and interests of victims of traffic accidents.