TAIF, 6 March 2004 — Car owners involved in accidents complain they have to run after insurance companies for compensation, Al-Watan newspaper reported. They say it is unfair that insurance has been made mandatory for them but insurance companies are not obligated to pay on time. Fahd Al-Harthi said, “I had an accident because of reckless driving by a teenager who totally destroyed my car. When the traffic police arrived, they ruled the teenager was 100 percent at fault. The teenager only showed his insurance card before he left the scene and I was left to run after the insurance company. I had to sell my car to the scrappers because it was beyond repair. Police estimated the value of my car at SR16,000. I demanded that money from the insurance company but they keep telling me that my papers are still in the Riyadh office and I will get my money soon.”
