Insurers Don't Need Traffic Ticket To Pay Out Claims

In the past, to file an insurance claim following a traffic accident one had to have the "boleta del Tránsito" (traffic ticket) issued by a traffic official. However, that is no longer the case.

The state insurer, the Instituto Nacional de Seguros (INS), and the private insurer, Mapfre - the only two insurers offering vehicle insurance in Costa Rica - say that is no longer the case to file and to get paid on a claim.

The INS says that, following a collision, only a call to an INS agent is required, but not the traffic police, and the customer will still be able to file a claim and be paid on it.

Aseguradora Mapfre says it is the same with them.

In the past, although a call to the traffic police was not required at the scene of an accident - for insurance purposes - the INS, the only insurer at the time, required a "croxis" (police report and sketch of the details of the accident) before it would pay out on a claim.

The director of the Policia de Tránsito, Cesar Quiros, explained the role of the "Trafico" (traffic police officer) in the event of a collision.

"The boleta (ticket) is used to send the information to the tribunals for a trial", said Quiros.

The director explained that there is no need for the presence of a Trafico is the parties involved in a collision come to a private agreement, which agreement can then be communicated to the insurance company.

Repairing a damaged insured vehicle is also hassle free, according to the INS. Although the INS does not have repair shops, it does have a network of authorized shops.

Taking a vehicle to an authorized INS shop means the customer does not have the hassle of filing a claim, waiting for it to be approved, inspections, etc, etc, etc - the shop handles all the paperwork.

In the contrary, an INS customer can take his or her vehicle to an INS inspection station to have a "perito" review it and assess the damage and repair cost. The customer can then take the vehicle to any shop for repair and then submit the invoices for payment.

In some cases, an INS inspector will review the repair work before paying out the claim.

At Mapfre which began operations only in the last year, they too have a network of authorized repair shops that guarantee the work for a five year period or the customer can use "their" own shop.

Both insurers offer road assistance with their policies (however vehicles 15 years or older are not covered with roadside assistance which includes towing the vehicle and legal advice in the case of a collision.