Vehicle Documents, Insurance and Accident Handling
Domain 9 covers the paperwork you must carry, the insurance that must stand behind it, and the correct behaviour after a collision.
Documents on board
- Driving licence, vehicle registration document (Fahrzeugausweis) including any trailer, insurance evidence, and the PBG authorisation or concession for the service.
- Tachograph records and driver card, plus any required journey or transport documents for cross-border work.
- Valid periodic inspection (MFK) and, where applicable, permits for special transports.
Insurance
- Motor third-party liability is compulsory for every motor vehicle (SVG); the statutory minimum sums cover personal injury and property damage but not your own vehicle.
- Licensed passenger transport also requires passenger liability cover under the PBG. Comprehensive (Kasko) and legal protection are optional.
- Report changes such as new drivers or a vehicle change to the insurer; an uninsured vehicle loses its plates.
After an accident
- Protect the scene, warn traffic and give first aid - assisting at an accident is a legal duty (SVG Art. 51), and fleeing is a criminal offence.
- Call the police (117) if anyone is injured, if there is a dispute, or if third-party property is damaged while the owner is absent.
- Do not admit fault; record facts: time, place, weather, road condition, positions, plates, witnesses, photos - and note tachograph data before it is overwritten.
- Complete the accident report with the other party, inform the operator and the insurer immediately, and stay until released by the police.
Worked example
While manoeuvring at a terminus the bus scrapes a parked car; nobody is hurt and the owner is absent. The driver stops, secures the scene, photographs the damage and the bus position, notes the plate, informs the police as required for damage to third-party property, leaves contact details through the operator, and files the report to the insurer the same day. Leaving would make it a hit-and-run.
Traps that cost marks
- Believing comprehensive insurance pays for damage you caused to others.
- Signing a statement of fault at the roadside.
- Forgetting that tachograph data is overwritten after a short period.
- Driving on after a minor scrape.
- Missing the deadline for reporting to the insurer.