18.02.2026 09:50
The Court of Cassation made a landmark decision that closely concerns drivers involved in traffic accidents without a license. The High Court ruled that a person who is not at fault in an accident being unlicensed does not prevent them from claiming the material damages they have suffered.
The Court of Cassation's 4th Civil Chamber ruled that a driver without a license, who is not at fault in an accident, can claim compensation from the party that caused damage to their vehicle. The Supreme Court emphasized that not having a driver's license requires administrative penalties, but this does not prevent the compensation for material damage.
According to a report by NTV; the announcement regarding the decision was published in the Official Gazette. Accordingly, in a traffic accident that occurred in Denizli in 2023, another vehicle collided with a car driven by a driver without a license.
COMPENSATION FOR LOSS OF USE REQUESTED
In the lawsuit filed after the accident, the driver whose vehicle was hit stated that material damage occurred and that they had to rent another vehicle because they could not use their own vehicle, requesting compensation for the loss of use.
During the trial process, it was revealed that the vehicle driven by the unlicensed driver belonged to them, but a different name was recorded in the accident report.
The defendant driver pointed out the allegation of forgery in documents, arguing that the plaintiff was unlicensed and therefore could not claim material damages. The Denizli Civil Court of First Instance rejected the case. Following this, the Ministry of Justice appealed the decision for the benefit of the law.