A legal look at driving in Turkey
Most expats, usually the ones living in places other than Istanbul, drive in Turkey. There are some favorite topics about driving in Turkey, and the most popular one is “How can I import my car to Turkey?” Considering the incredibly high tax imposed on vehicles in Turkey, it is very wise to import your car rather than buying one here. I will write about this matter in the following weeks. Today I am planning to write about car accidents.
Traffic accidents are classified into two groups: accidents with injuries and accidents without injuries. I am planning to write about car accidents without injuries since it is a different story when an injury case is involved.
What should you do if you are involved in a car accident?
In the old times, the regulations were stricter, and drivers were not even able to move their cars after a simple bumper-to-bumper accident so the road would be open. The police had to come and write an accident report including a small picture of the accident showing the location of the cars so the judge could have an idea of the event if the parties (or the insurance company) took the matter before a court.
The law changed last year, and now drivers are able to settle and make their own statement to the insurance company. This is certainly convenient and helps people save some time instead of waiting for police officers. This is also good for the police since they don’t have to pay attention to every single accident that has taken place.
You are still free to call the police and ask them to fill out an accident report. This happens when the drivers are not able to settle the matter. If you prefer to call the police, do not move your car and keep your car in the exact position it was after the accident. Take safety measures and make sure that other people driving can see you and you do not endanger other people by stopping in the left lane without any signals. (We have recently lost a friend. He was driving, and he hit a car from the back that stopped in the left lane without any signals.)
It is very important for the police officers to see your car’s exact location as it was right after the accident.
If you do not have a good command of Turkish, please ask for help from people who witnessed the accident or at least from somebody speaking English. The reason I am writing this is because you may not be able to find an English-speaking police officer to explain how the accident took place. Get the telephone numbers and addresses of people who saw the accident. You may need their witness statements especially for insurance claims.
The police officers will make a drawing of the accident on a map and will write the details about the accident. Make sure that all the details are shown correctly on this drawing. Your statements will guide the police officers as well as their own observations. Not all accidents are this clear; the statements of the parties may be important for the officers to draw maps and to write their reports.
Make sure that you have copies of the other party’s registration papers and driver’s license because you may need this information when you file your insurance claims. Please take good care of yourself and your car. Have safe trips.
Berk Cektir http://www.berkcektir.av.tr/ The information provided here is intended to give basic legal information. You should get legal assistance from a licensed attorney at law while conducting legal transactions and not just rely on the information in this corner. http://www.todayszaman.com/ info@berkcektirlaw.com
