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Uninsured Vehicles with Temporary Plates Banned in Ethiopia

The Transport Authority of Ethiopia banned all vehicles with temporary and transit plates from the road until they acquire third party insurance.

Victims of accidents that involve uninsured vehicles with temporary plates have failed to receive indemnity payments resulting in the revision to the proclamation according to Negussie Kebede, Director of the Quality Assurance Directorate with the transport authority.

Third party insurance is important to support victims of accidents and cars without such insurance are banned from the road he noted.

The letter requiring all vehicles seeking temporary and daily license plates to get compulsory third party insurance coverage was issued in the beginning of April by the Federal Transport Authority to regional branch offices.

Vehicle owners are required to present customs declaration forms, import licenses, bills of lading and pink papers from the FTA to ensure that all vehicles stated on the declaration forms are brought into the country to get the temporary license plates.

The documents will remain at the branch offices until the owners return with third party insurance documents.

Although importers usually get just one plate for all vehicles declared on the pink paper they will be required to get third party insurance for all the cars that they have imported to receive that one plate.

Importers have been complaining that it is too expensive to insure all cars said Bayelygen Bekle, Communications Officer with the IFO. It is however important for these vehicles to be insured as they will operate on the road even for a short while and can cause accidents.

Source: Ethiopian Press Agency