Should Driving School Students Compensate for Damaged Training Vehicles?
2 Answers
If the driving school's property is damaged due to such incorrect operations, the compensation issue should be determined case by case. If the damage is intentionally caused by the student, they should compensate. If it's unintentional, neither the student nor the instructor should be held responsible; instead, the school should bear the cost. According to Article 20 of the "Regulations for the Implementation of the Road Traffic Safety Law of the People's Republic of China," the following provisions apply: 1. If a student commits a road traffic safety violation or causes a traffic accident during driving training, the instructor is responsible. 2. Regarding whether insurance companies will compensate, there are similar cases, and courts have issued clear rulings. When students use training vehicles for on-road driving practice, it is considered normal training behavior. Therefore, in the event of a traffic accident, the driving school should be held accountable.
Generally speaking, it is unreasonable for driving schools to require students to compensate for vehicle damage during training. I learned this from a real-life experience when a friend accidentally damaged the rearview mirror during practice, but the driving school handled it directly without charging her a penny. As a professional institution, the driving school's tuition fees already cover vehicle wear and tear and accident risks, similar to other service industries. Contracts usually stipulate that the driving school is responsible for damages occurring during normal practice. Forcing students to compensate would appear unprofessional and could even be illegal. Of course, intentional damage by students is an exception, but that is extremely rare. Driving schools should have specialized training insurance to cover such incidents, reducing the burden on everyone. My advice is to inquire about the school's policies to avoid being taken advantage of. Overall, the priority should be student safety and learning experience, not shifting responsibility.
