Compulsory Automobile Insurance in Europe

A study of this subject must be complex in view of the number of countries involved with differing civil codes and political ideologies. A patchwork result inevitably emerges but an effort will be made to paint a broad picture of the present legislative situation and to observe how each country has in its own way tackled the social problem of ensuring the compensation of the victims of accidents on the roads. The first to embark on legislation was Denmark in 1918, followed by other Nordic countries in the nineteen twenties, at which time laws also took effect in New Zealand and the state of Massachusetts in the U.S.A. Legislation has since become effective or is pending in many European countries and elsewhere. It is proposed to examine in some detail the British legislation and its practical application and development and thereafter to review more briefly the situation on the continent of Europe.