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STICKER DEPRIVED PASSENGER
OF INSURANCE COVER
FRENCH JUDGES STAGE
PROTEST MARCH
A car passenger who sued a fully insured driver
lost his High Court damages claim, because of a
sticker on the dash-board—"Passengers travelling
in this vehicle do so at their own risk."
The comprehensive insurance of the driver, Mr.
Tugwell, 21, of Rochester — taken out by his
father, covered passenger insurance.
The Judge, Mr. Justice Ackner, held that the
sticker, as the law is at present, excluded the in
surance company from liability for the passenger's
injuries.
He added:
"I hope
this will expedite the
legislation
to make passenger
insurance com
pulsory."
Although Mr. Bennett lost his case,, he will
receive £500—"as a gesture" from the unnamed
insurance company. If he had proved his case,,
he would have received £1,100 damages. Mr.
Bresler,
counsel
for
Mr.
Tugwell,
told
the Judge that he had been instructed not to ask
for costs.
Mr. Tugwell was driving his father's car when
it struck the rear of a parked car. Mr. Bennett
was bruised and concussed but there were no
residual effects.
It was admitted that Mr. Tugwell had been
negligent. The issue, said the Judge, was whether
the passenger voluntarily assented to the risk of
negligence in the light of the warning on the
sticker, which Mr. Tugwell had bought for 2/6d.
The Judge said the notice meant: "Passengers
are warned that if they travel in this car they
bear the risk of the driver driving negligently."
(Daily Telegraph,
9th February, 1971).
About 500 Judges, representing the elite of the
French judiciary, staged a solemn and unprece
dented protest parade yesterday against a top
Gaullist politician's accusation
that
they were
cowardly in dealing with student militants. The
black-robed demonstrators closed courtrooms for
an hour throughout Paris to take part in the
dignified protest inside the Palais de Justice.
Accompanied by hundreds of lawyers, ushers
and court clerks, the judges filed past a plaque
inscribed in memory of Judge Rene Parodi, re
garded as a symbol of judicial courage after being
put to death by the Gestapo in 1942.
The demonstration was organised after M. Rene
Tomasini, secretary-general of the ruling Gaullist
party, caused a political storm by speaking pub
licly of the cowardice of magistrates in passing
"derisory sentences" on agitators.
Judges in provincial French cities were staging
similar protests.
The Government last night banned all street
demonstrations yesterday and today after President
Pompidou and senior Government leaders publicly
rebuked M. Tomasini for his attack on the judges
and expressed their full confidence in the magis-
trature.
The main purpose of the ban was to head off
threatening massive student demonstrations
in
sympathy with 18-year-old Gilles Guiot, whose
six-month term for allegedly punching a policeman
was considered
excessive by many
students,
teachers and parents.
At the head of the column of
judges was
Supreme Court President Maurice Aydalot.
Several
thousand high school and university
students staged protest marches in Paris yesterday
despite the official ban.
They were calling for the release of several
students held by police.
(The Irish Times,
19th February, 1971).
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