Although they are more than 160 kilometers away and about two hours by car, the residents of New Belgrade and Kraljevo had the same problems in the previous days. First, in the night between August 31 and September 1, at three o'clock in the morning, residents of the largest Belgrade municipality were woken up by smoke, an unpleasant smell and a fire burning in the parking lot of Jurija Gagarina Street. Apparently, 10 cars were burnt in the fire. Three were charred completely, while the remaining seven were more or less materially damaged. At the time this text is being prepared for the press, it is not known what the cause is and who is to blame. While the police are determining guilt and responsibility, the residents claimed that everything was the work of an arsonist who has been in the neighborhood for days, which is why they still fear for their safety.
Just two days after that, the same pictures and practically the same problems in Kraljevo. "We were woken up by the stench, there was no noise or someone drunkenly breaking around the city. These are extremely poisonous gases, which are dangerous, and then we called the fire brigade. At around half past three they told us that they no longer had a crew. It turned out that during the night there were three more fires that were put out until six in the morning. Obviously a healthy person cannot do this," said Predrag Voštinić, councilor of the Local Front from Kraljevo to TV Nova.
Unknown occupants set fire to containers at three locations, and two cars were also destroyed in the fire, which the firefighters, who tried to stop the fire from two to six in the morning, could not save. Concerned about the security in their city, because of this incident, councilors of the Local Front from Kraljevo, including Voštinić, spoke out.
The destruction of the vehicle complicates and perhaps changes the owner's life. The damage that occurred in these, as well as in the majority of similar cases, means the purchase of a new vehicle, which is a drastic expense that the owners probably did not even think about before the incident.
According to the Law on Obligations, the responsibility for damage is borne solely by the person who caused it, except in cases where the damage was caused by violent acts or manifestations, such as demonstrations when the police, although obliged to do so, did not protect property. As these cases did not happen during public gatherings, owners of cars or other property that were damaged have the same question: who do I turn to now?
POLICE FIRST STATION
Although there is little chance that the police will not be notified of multiple car fires in a neighborhood in one city, every car owner would have to report the incident. After that, it is necessary to make a record. At that moment, the investigation that should establish guilt begins. However, that path can often be slow and with a delayed effect, so the owners are in a dilemma whether it even makes sense to start the procedure. Jovan Ristić from the Ektefifa organization, which has been helping citizens with consumer dilemmas for years, emphasized for "Vreme" that the key question is whether the vehicle is insured.
"This is not a classic consumer right, but compensation for damages and the right to insurance. If your car burns down, the first instance is to check whether you are insured and who bears the obligation to compensate you for the damage. From a legal point of view, this is a very interesting situation that must start with the issue of insurance. Of course, if we know who is at fault, the situation is simpler, but the challenges are far more complex if that person does not have the means to pay for the damage. It is important to submit a claim for damages so that the procedure can then move towards compensation for the damage." Ristić explained to "Vreme".
A similar path is recommended by Dajana Šobot Petić, who deals with insurance representation. She explained to "Vreme" that looking for the culprit is the first instance. The second direction is that, if you have insurance, contact your insurance company, bearing in mind that you are already setting aside money, that is, the premium for such an expense.
"Insurance always covers the responsibility of the owner of a dangerous thing, and the car is that. If the owner is responsible, the insurance pays for the damage. In this situation, the problem is that the damage comes from a third party, so the owner of the dangerous thing has no responsibility and that damage is not payable. Also, a distinction should be made between the regular registration policy, which is legally mandatory for all owners of motor vehicles, and insurance. If you own only that, and the car burns down, it is clear that you cannot have compensation," explains Dajana Šobot Petić.
INSTITUTIONS WEAK LINK
Car owners can only hope that the police will find the culprit, and that the case will be resolved positively. Although there are surveillance cameras, clues and suspicions about who the perpetrator is, it rarely happens that the culprits are found and brought to justice with an express reaction. If this happens, the owner of the damaged vehicle can claim compensation from the arsonist and compensation for the damage, but there is a new objective obstacle. And if it is determined who is directly responsible for the arson act, it is not impossible that that person has no money to compensate for the damage, so the owner has no way to claim what belongs to him. That is why there are insurance companies, but experts warn that the most painless option is to take the so-called comprehensive insurance policy which beforehand predicts situations like this, so stress will be somewhat less.
An insurance company that wished to remain anonymous confirms that a comprehensive insurance policy is a safe solution and that it includes precisely these situations when the vehicle is not participating in traffic and experiences an accident such as a fire for which you are not to blame.
"It is a so-called voluntary policy that protects your vehicle from damage or destruction, regardless of whether you are at fault. In this particular situation, it does not matter whether the vehicle was in traffic or not; if it is on fire and you are insured, you are entitled to money. Casco is important because it protects against damage that did not occur in traffic and you are insured against it. If it is a new car, it usually has a casco policy and it is activated when necessary," the insurance company said.
INSURANCE, EXPENSIVE BUT NECESSARY WORK
Connoisseurs estimate that for the insurance of an average new car in Serbia, it is necessary to allocate between 750 and 1200 euros annually - an amount that makes many people not want this type of insurance. So, very simple if you have money. If you don't have the money, you can only hope that the person who caused the fire will pay you compensation or you will have to pay for everything yourself.
Diana Šobot Petić emphasized that through this type of insurance "you can sleep peacefully" because the policy insures against fire, floods, and vandalism. The same practice is applied in the world, so Serbia is not an isolated island, bearing in mind that regulations are often copied to our region.
"Somehow it all comes from the West. First we translate their laws, rewrite them and adopt them. I would always draw attention to the citizens to ensure themselves with the care and attention of a good host, to appreciate the risk and to park their vehicles in safer places", concluded our interlocutor.
Mask, scooter, cap, match
The latest cases of bombs and fires in New Belgrade and in Kraljevo have once again raised the issue of security in our country. In recent months, we have witnessed an alarming increase in confrontations on the streets, first of all in Belgrade, but also in other cities. Molotov cocktails were used on several occasions to set fire to luxury buildings, and on several occasions, firearm attacks were also used, such as the one in Kumodraz, when the cameras recorded a murder. In one such attack, the owner of the well-known Belgrade cafe "Džeri" in New Belgrade was wounded, and a bomb was thrown into the yard of regional music star Zdravko Čolić. The fact that the clashes started happening in the middle of the day and that younger people participate in them is particularly worrying.
The new era also brings new rules, so now attackers come to locations with masks, scooters and caps, and then commit criminal acts. However, the top prosecutor's office does not share the fear that the situation is not under control. The chief public prosecutor of the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade, Nenad Stefanović, said in mid-August that all murders in the capital since the beginning of the year have been solved, but he does not answer the question of what is happening with the senseless escalation of violence in the country, which began to behave like the model of the 1990s.
Retired police colonel and member of parliament Slavica Radovanović has no qualms that everything is known in the security sector, but the question is whether it should be revealed or covered up.
"All the institutions that are supposed to take care of our security have turned into units for arresting and beating opponents of the regime. And these bombs that are thrown at objects should be partially interpreted as a message to dissenters. On the other hand, we should not overlook the fact that personal confrontations also happen under the grain. Unfortunately, we live in a radical madness that creates resistance among an increasing number of citizens," said Slavica Radovanović for "Vreme".
