De Vereende · compared independently · advice from Finass
Third-party liability insurance for carnival floats through Vereende
A carnival float is driven one day a year, but it travels on the public road with people on board and therefore falls squarely under the insurance obligation in Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM).
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In brief
The procession takes place on the road, and legally that is decisive. A carnival float is a trailer or a motor vehicle in its own right within the meaning of the WAM and must be insured under Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM). If the structure is towed by an agricultural tractor, the coupled float should fall under the cover of that towing vehicle. If the structure stands on its own chassis with a registration number, it is a separate object to be insured.
Building clubs, carnival associations and float-building neighbourhood groups work with volunteers on a self-built vehicle that has never been tested and has no agreed value. Mainstream insurers rarely accept this. Vereende places it as cover for the day of the procession or for the carnival season. If there is also an audience, a stand or a site involved, we look at the motor vehicle event insurance.
Third-party liability cover deals only with damage to others. The float itself, the building shed, the weeks of construction and the driver at the wheel are not included. For many associations that is the surprise: the most expensive part of the project, the float they have worked on for a year, is precisely the uninsured part.
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Basic cover
The basic cover insures the core of your third-party liability insurance for carnival floats. We show what Vereende and other insurers offer within it.
Injury to persons
Property damage to third parties
Employees included
Retroactive cover (prior risk)
Extended cover
On top of that to damage to third parties, employers' and product liability and damage during work at the client's premises.
Employers' liability at the client's premises
Product liability
Agency workers, interns & volunteers
Care, custody and control (property in your care)
Complete package
The most complete cover. We compare the extended version from Vereende with the market.
Environmental impairment (unforeseen, limited)
Retroactive cover (prior risk)
Higher sums insured
What we do
What we do
At Finass
Direct with De Vereende
Comparison across several insurers
Yes
No
Advice based on your own situation
Yes
Sometimes
One point of contact for claims
Yes
Sometimes
Cancellation with your current insurer arranged
Yes
No
We determine whether De Vereende is the best choice
Yes
No
Advice fees for you as a customer
No
No
This overview concerns our service, not the cover. What is actually covered is set out in the policy conditions and on the insurer's insurance card (verzekeringskaart); you receive both before you take out cover.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
The tractor and the float are two separate things
A coupled trailer is in principle covered under the third-party liability cover of the towing vehicle, but that insurer has priced a farm trailer, not a five-metre-high structure with a sound system on it. So notify the structure separately. If the float comes uncoupled during the procession and rolls on, the cover question is different from when it was still attached to the towbar.
Anyone standing on the float is not a passenger in the usual sense
Under the compulsory third-party liability cover, people on board count as injured third parties: if someone falls from the float or is trapped by a moving element of the decoration, their injury is compensated. The driver of the tractor falls outside that and needs their own personal accident cover. For the association as builder and organiser, there is also the liability of Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code for an unsound structure.
Height, width and what stands along the route
With carnival floats things rarely go wrong through a collision and usually through a fixed object: an overhead line, a canopy, a road sign, a facade or a lamp post that the local authority then charges to you. Municipal permission and an exemption for the dimensions are not only traffic requirements; insurers set them as a condition. Measure the clearance height along the route before you build, not afterwards.
What the third-party liability policy expressly does not cover
Damage to the float itself is not insured. There is no own-damage cover for a self-build without an agreed value. Fire or theft in the building shed during the months of construction is not covered either and calls for separate cover. Injury to the driver falls outside third-party liability cover. Driving under the influence or without the licence required for the tractor leads to the payment being recovered from the driver.
Retroactive cover (prior risk)
Retroactive cover (prior risk) Included for your staff during work.
Defence & legal costs
What does your premium depend on?
Dimensions and weight of the structure. Height and width determine the chance of contact with overhead lines, facades and street furniture.
Type of towing vehicle. An agricultural tractor, a lorry chassis or a self-propelled structure with a registration number are each assessed differently.
Length of the cover. One day of procession, a carnival weekend or a whole season with several processions produce different rates.
Number of people on board. The more people on and around the float, the greater the chance of injury from a fall or from being trapped.
Route and surroundings. A village centre without overhead lines is a different risk from a city centre with tram lines and narrow facades.
Experience of the driver and claims history. A regular, experienced driver and an association without previous incidents count in your favour when cover is assessed.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
How we arrange it
You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, your risk and your wishes.
We compareseveral insurers, on premium as well as conditions.
You receive a proposalWith an explanation of the differences and the exclusions.
We arrange the switchIncluding cancellation, so there is no gap in cover.
Customers rate our service on four aspects: personal service, service delivery, availability and the outcome. The reviews are collected and published by NH1816 and come from customers who have actually taken out a policy with Finass Advies B.V. or reported a claim.
Is third-party liability insurance for a carnival float really compulsory?
Yes. As soon as the vehicle takes part in traffic on the public road, the insurance obligation in Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM) applies, even if that is only one afternoon a year. If you drive uninsured and someone is injured, the Waarborgfonds Motorverkeer pays the victim and then recovers that amount from the owner or the driver.
Is the float automatically covered by the tractor's insurance?
Often it is, as long as it is coupled, but do not rely on it blindly. The tractor's insurer has accepted an ordinary trailer, not a tall, heavily decorated structure with people on board. So notify the structure in advance and ask for written confirmation that the float is covered during the procession, including the people on it.
Is a volunteer who falls from the float insured?
During the procession, yes: people on board are third parties under the third-party liability cover, so their injury is compensated. If the accident happens during construction in the shed, there is no motor vehicle risk and you fall back on the association's liability or on separate personal accident cover for volunteers. So do not try to arrange those two situations with one policy.
Is the float itself insured against damage or fire?
No. Third-party liability insurance covers only damage you cause to others. The float is a self-build without a valuation or agreed value, which means own-damage cover is not available. Fire in the building shed, theft of materials and storm damage to the structure call for separate cover, which you have to arrange before the building period, not shortly before the procession.
Finass Verzekert is a trading name of Finass Advies B.V. We advise on and arrange non-life insurance on the basis of an objective analysis of several insurers, and receive commission for this from the insurer, which is included in the premium. You pay no separate advice fee. Before you take out cover, we establish your wishes and needs.
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