The Online Sketch Plan to reduce fake accidents, which was piloted in Qom Province a year ago, will be implemented nationwide.
Although officials are troubleshooting the plan, they claim that the new plan is more efficient than the traditional method for reducing staged and fake accidents.
The Online Sketch Plan is a joint project of the Iranian Traffic Police and the Central Insurance of Iran, Donyaye Khodro reported.
Mohammad Baqer Salimi, the head of the Urban Traffic Police Department, said damages below 160 million rials ($487) do not require a sketch plan.
“In such accidents, there is no need for the presence of the police, and if both sides agree, it is sufficient to go to the insurance company with the driving documents, such as a valid license and insurance policy, in order to receive damages without delay,” he added.
The Online Sketch Plan is expected to help overcome many of the challenges facing people embroiled in accidents, apart from spending time and energy unnecessarily by visiting a police station and insurance office.
The digitization of administrative and financial procedures related to accidents can help people handle an accident legally, speedily and appropriately, while allowing them space to overcome the distress involved.
When an accident occurs, the traffic police officer arrives on the scene with an electronic device to draw a sketch and add essential details online. This information is sent to the police, the judiciary and insurance company.
While officials believe that the new plan will reduce fake accidents, the report believes it will not produce the desired result.
The software cannot do anything special and it is up to the traffic police officer present at the scene of accident to determine whether the accident is fake, the report added.
If the officer notices that the car owner has had several accidents, a sketch of the accident will not be drawn and the accident will be referred to the police department as a suspicious case.
Officials say the plan’s weaknesses and strengths have been identified and its shortcomings are being fixed. But a downside of the plan is that the Iranian Traffic Police need to establish a nationwide electronic infrastructure and purchase electronic tools, for which a large budget is required.
Nevertheless, police officers agree that the Online Sketch Plan will expedite the accident documentation process and the information saved will be easily accessible to the institutions and organizations concerned.
At times, the report on the circumstances and cause of the accident is not legible and the relevant authorities face problems, but the plan will solve this problem. It will also eliminate the police officer’s subjective evaluation of the accident.
