Today, many minor traffic incidents are documented by drivers under the European Protocol without police involvement, as reminded by the capital’s traffic authorities.
Yet not every road user knows how to apply it correctly. This matters because even small crashes can disrupt flow on busy roads while waiting for officers to arrive or for a formal report to be processed.
Below are the practical conditions for registering an accident under the European Protocol that drivers should keep in mind:
- there are no injuries in the incident
- only two vehicles are involved
- only the vehicles involved suffered damage
- both drivers have valid auto insurance policies covering the vehicles involved
- both parties agree to file a report using the European Protocol without contacting the police
If only a report is submitted to the insurer, the payout may be limited to a certain maximum, whereas including photographs of the crash site with geolocation information can increase the potential payment, depending on the insurer’s rules and local regulations.