You’ll be familiar with this: just in time for the start of the new school year, the „parent taxi“ is back in full swing. With petrol prices on the rise, carpooling for the journey to school is particularly worthwhile. However, this also presents a number of challenges. For instance, the question of liability in the event of an accident is often unclear. That’s why, in this first part, we’ll explain what you need to bear in mind if you’re the driver yourself. In the second part, you’ll find out what to consider if your child is a passenger in a car-sharing arrangement.
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Accidents on the way to school are classified as commuting accidents.
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In the event of accidents on the way to school, statutory accident insurance covers the costs.
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A car-sharing arrangement is also covered by accident insurance.
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Only the direct journey to and from school is covered, although this does include journeys to and from the other members of the car-sharing group.
What happens if there’s an accident on the way to school?
If an accident occurs on the way to or from school, pupils are covered by the statutory accident insurance scheme in exactly the same way as when they are at school. This is known as a ‘commuting accident’. Commuting accidents are any accidents that occur on the way to or from school or work. You can read more about commuting accidents here.
Good to know: This also covers journeys to and from school by public transport, bicycle, on foot or by car. The situation is different in the case of accidents involving school buses: in such cases, the private bus operator is liable.
What rules apply to a carpool where you are the driver?
If you organise a carpool, you and the children travelling with you are covered by statutory accident insurance for the entire journey. The members of a carpool do not have to attend the same school. However, all passengers must be covered by statutory accident insurance. This generally includes all school pupils.
A brief example: If, as a mother, you are picking up your son and his school friend from school and are involved in a car accident through no fault of your own, the other driver’s third-party liability insurance will cover the damage to the vehicle and any personal injury. However, if you are at fault for the accident, your own third-party liability insurance will cover the damages suffered by the other passengers.
In principle, it is always possible to claim under statutory accident insurance.
Which car-sharing arrangements are covered by insurance?
Insurance cover applies only on the direct journey to school. It does not matter whether the journey to school begins at the child’s home or elsewhere.
Direct route to school: Always insured
If you are organising a carpool and deviate from the direct route to school in order to pick up a member of the carpool from their home or drop them off at school, you and the pupils are covered by statutory accident insurance for the entire journey. In this specific case, it is also irrelevant whether the pupils in the carpool attend the same school.
As a rule, detours on the way to or from school are covered, particularly for schoolchildren – what matters is the underlying intention, that is, the purpose behind the journey. In this context, a specific meeting point, for example, is not required. If the places of residence are not far apart, the journey to the other passengers’ homes is also covered.
Detours: The shortest route applies
The rule of thumb is: only the shortest route is covered. However, there are exceptions. In the following section, we explain in which cases these apply and when cover ceases.
Detours covered by statutory accident insurance
- Detours due to roadworks
- Detours taken to avoid a traffic jam or to improve the route for other reasons
- Detours to pick up other children from home
- Detours caused by attending different schools
Detours that are not covered by statutory accident insurance
- Detours for personal reasons, such as going shopping
- Returning to the route to school after an interruption lasting more than two hours; the remainder of the journey is no longer covered
- Accidents that occur in residential buildings
Steps towards fair claims settlement
Has there been an accident on the way to school? With fairforce.one, you’re in safe hands! Best of all: if you’re involved in an accident through no fault of your own, you won’t pay a penny for our service. Settlement is handled simply and directly with the other party involved in the accident or their motor insurance company.
An overview of the procedure that has received top ratings from accident victims:
You report the accident to us risk-free and free of charge by telephone at 0800 - 30 111 60 or even faster here online.
- Our experienced specialists will assess your case straight away and discuss the most appropriate next steps with you in person.
- With the help of our innovative software, your entitlements are calculated accurately and displayed on your smartphone.
- We will initiate the best possible claims settlement on your behalf and see it through until full payment has been made.
We can't undo your accident. But we will make the best of it for you, we promise!
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