More than 195 thousand experts have been appointed since August with the "smart system" in traffic and automobile insurance.

The pilot application of the "Smart Expert Assignment System" developed by the Insurance and Private Pension Regulation and Supervision Agency (SEDDK) was launched in Bursa and Ordu on April 1.

While the duration of the pilot application, which was initially planned to be completed on July 1, was extended, the provincial scope was also expanded. In this direction, Balıkesir, Erzurum, Kayseri, Kütahya, Manisa, Uşak and Van were also included in the application as of July 6.

With the completion of the pilot period, the system was put into operation throughout Türkiye on August 1. More than two months have passed since it was implemented nationwide, and the first data about the system has begun to take shape.

"We see the system as a constantly evolving structure"

Commenting on the issue to the AA correspondent, TOBB SEİK President Ahmet Nedim Erdem noted that the pilot application of the system was carried out with the aim of testing actual damage files, field conditions and operational structures of different insurance companies, detecting possible problems before transition to the whole country and developing the application rules with data from the field.

Erdem said, "We see the system not as a project that has been completed and will not change anymore, but as a structure that constantly develops in line with the data coming from the field, the application experience of the experts and the evaluations made by the institutions." he said.

Giving information about the operation, Erdem stated that the main change is that the appointment of experts is tied to determined and traceable rules.

Erdem pointed out the importance of preserving the independence of the expert opinion while the appointment is based on objective criteria, and explained that the basic elements of the system are the detection of the damage in an independent and standard technical process, the recording of the process, the revealing of the actual damage and the right holder's ability to access the compensation process as directly as possible.

Ahmet Nedim Erdem noted that reporting processes will be completed more quickly as all experts write their reports on the same platform as of January 1, 2027, when there will be a transition to the expert report writing system through the Insurance Information and Monitoring Center (SBM).

"The ultimate criterion for us is the rapid and accurate determination of the rightful owner's actual damage."

TOBB SEİK President Erdem said the following regarding the process after the system was put into operation throughout Türkiye:

"According to the data provided to us by SBM, a total of 195 thousand 656 appointments were made through the Smart Expert Assignment System between August 1 and October 9, when the system was put into operation throughout Turkey. 179 thousand 749 of these were partial damage sequential assignment in traffic insurance, 8 thousand 455 were partial damage sequential assignment in motor insurance, 4 thousand 12 were sequential assignment for motor insurance heavy damage, and 3 thousand 432 were selected as partial damage in motor insurance. 8 assignments consist of traffic heavy damage sequential assignments. Therefore, approximately 92 percent of the total assignments consist of partial damage files in traffic insurance. However, these figures primarily show the operational scale reached by the system. However, it would not be correct to consider the number of assignments over 195 thousand as an indicator of the success of the system.

While the number of files shows us the scale at which the system operates, it does not alone indicate the change in service quality, reporting times, impact on disputes, or the outcome of the right holder's access to compensation. In order to evaluate these, comparable data produced by the same method must be available for a sufficient period of time. "For us, the final criterion is not how many experts received how many files, but whether the real damage of the rightful owner was determined quickly and accurately at the first stage, whether the material damage and loss of value, if any, can be evaluated on the same technical basis, whether the reports are justified and auditable, and whether technically preventable disputes can be reduced before they arise."

Erdem stated that the main change that is wanted to be made with the system regarding loss of value is to simplify the fragmented structure that forces the citizen to first learn about the loss, then have it calculated, then apply separately and then try to resolve the dispute.

Reminding that the use of different calculation methods, parameters or data assumptions for the same damage of the same vehicle can lead to significantly different results, Erdem stated that handling damage detection and loss of value in the same technical examination and basing the calculation on common criteria aims to reduce disputes arising from such method differences.

Erdem underlined that their goal is to eliminate as much as possible the reasons that lead to technically preventable disputes, instead of waiting for them to first arise and then be resolved in the Insurance Arbitration Commission, and said, "As a result of the citizens quickly reaching the compensation for loss of value they deserve, the decrease in disputes arising from loss of value in the Insurance Arbitration Commission will be one of the important outputs of the system. We expect the disputes arising only from method differences or separate application processes and their reflection on the Insurance Arbitration Commission to decrease over time." he said.

"No insurance adjuster calls the insured or beneficiary and requests a power of attorney."

Ahmet Nedim Erdem also drew attention to the illegal structures that victimize citizens in the processes related to loss of value compensation, and said that with the payment of compensation for loss of value within the scope of traffic insurance, organized illegal structures have emerged that obtain the information of the beneficiaries through illegal methods after the accident and force them to give power of attorney for damage follow-up.

Stating that these illegal structures call citizens through call centers and introduce themselves with titles such as "insurance expert, treasury expert or state expert" and ask for a power of attorney, Erdem explained that these structures, which give a small portion of the compensation they receive from the insurance company to citizens who give power of attorney, victimize many people and cause damage to the insurance sector in Türkiye.

Erdem gave the following warnings to citizens against the structures in question:

"It should be known that no insurance adjuster calls the insured or the beneficiary and requests a power of attorney or follows up on damage. It is not possible for the insurance adjuster, who is legally obliged to be impartial and independent, to carry out these activities. In many applications to SEİK, we have seen that these illegal structures act with fake power of attorney, have people who are not experts calculate damage and loss of value, make unfair compensation demands that are not compatible with reality, and make underpayments to citizens. In this context, SEDDK has ordered these illegal structures to act with fake power of attorney. I care about, support, and find the measures taken to be appropriate.

I would like to emphasize once again that if a person claims to be an insurance expert and asks for power of attorney from you, this is an attempt to defraud. People who call with statements such as 'I am the state expert, I will take care of your loss of value, I will solve it without going to court' should definitely not be trusted. Our citizens do not need to resort to intermediaries to access the compensation they deserve. "The independent appraisal carried out by the insurance adjuster and the application process directly to the insurance company constitute the basis for beneficiaries' access to their compensation."