The Union introduces a fresh work for mower owners

Due to the preference to usage mobile lawn mowers, there is simply a real hazard of a crucial increase in the cost of this practice. The fresh EU Directive requires the German government to introduce compulsory insurance for vehicles that travel at a maximum velocity of 20 kilometres per hour. The Coalition, acting in accordance with this Directive, has a plan to make insurance mandatory for consumers in the coming month. This, on the another hand, will require the owners of mobile mowers to adapt to fresh insurance regulations, which possibly means an increase in the cost of maintaining and operating these equipment.

Mandatory insurance of mobile mowers

Since December 23, 2023, Germany will introduce an insurance work for vehicles travelling between 6 and 20 kilometres per hr on public roads. This fresh regulation will apply to a variety of equipment, specified as mobile mowers, forklifts, limited velocity tractors, snowblowers or even excavators. These machines will gotta meet the same insurance requirements as standard passenger cars, which in turn will require individual insurance for each of these vehicles. This change in government can have a crucial impact on the owners of these devices, forcing them to adapt to fresh insurance requirements, analogous to the regulation of conventional motor vehicles. This evolution of government has the possible to change the insurance scenery for machines utilized in different fields, which can be a challenge for their owners and the insurance sector.

Even in prison, for failing to comply

To date, insurance for mobile mowers or akin vehicles, which have moved at a maximum velocity of 20 kilometres per hour, could have been covered by the General Insurance Liability Plan (OC) for companies or individuals. Prior to mandatory insurance, the usage of these vehicles on public roads did not require peculiar insurance protection.

Persons who neglect to meet the fresh work to insure vehicles specified as mobile mowers will become a law enforcement entity as proposed by the coalition. In the most severe case of breach of this obligation, punishment may be punishable up to a year in prison. In addition, the introduction of compulsory insurance may lead to crucial cost increases for owners of specified equipment. This is the consequence of an increase in the minimum amounts of individual injury insurance, which must be at least EUR 7.5 million, and for property harm which must be at least EUR 1.5 million. This change in the minimum amount of insurance may importantly incriminate the finances of persons with specified vehicles.

EU Directive

The EU Directive on insurance of civilian liability for motor vehicles, namely the KH Directive, has been introduced to guarantee uniform standards of insurance protection throughout Europe. This Directive provides the basis for a fresh insurance work which was introduced by the Light Signalling Coalition. This work concerns the usage of mowers only in public.

However, in the case of the usage of mowers in private premises, separate insurance is not required. According to the analysis carried out by Stiftung Warentest, mandatory civilian liability insurance concerns owners of electrical scooters moving at speeds of 6 to 20 kilometres per hr from 2019. This is due to the fact that electrical scooters, due to their mechanical drive, are considered motor vehicles.

As a result, although the insurance work is imposed on electrical scooters moving at a certain speed, users of mowers on private premises are not obliged to have separate insurance.

Government's making up the recipeed

The German Government is presently considering the anticipation of criminal penalties for infringements of these provisions from 23 December. There is besides an option to establish transitional provisions in which the absence of insurance would initially be treated as an administrative infringement alternatively than a penalty. This approach would aim to progressively implement the fresh rules, allowing progressive adaptation and public awareness before possible criminal penalties.