Tampering With Mileage Counter Punishable

Tampering with the mileage counter of a car will be prohibited starting 2014. On Thursday the House voted on a bill of Minister Melanie Schultz (Infrastructure) about this. Tampering with kilometer counters costs consumers 150 million euro annually. For insurance companies and the government, these costs are estimated to be even higher. Schultz hopes that the new law will deter further acts as offenders will be caught quicker and will be punished. In 2009, a study showed that 5 percent of cars have tampered counters. Sellers get more money for a car with lower mileage. Also, the insurance premium is lower if a car has been driven less. To make it more difficult for offenders, the law also says that the counted kilometers should be reported to the RDW more often, such as when the name of the owner is changed and when a major repair is carried out.