The “puddle police” are lurking on a kerb near you. Lawyers who have seen a business decline from the clampdown on insurance miss-selling can target drivers who splash pedestrians or cyclists. Drivers face a £100 Fixed Penalty Notice and three points for each offence for splashing others but this can escalate to £5,000 if contested and lost in court. Then more money has to be paid through … [Read more...]
Insurance Features
Insurance warning over lapsed MoTs
The coronavirus lockdown earlier this year resulted in millions of cars receiving a six-month extension to their MOT certificate but that leeway has ended. With the current MOT failure rate at 32%, millions of vehicles that don’t meet levels of roadworthiness could be on the streets. GoCompare Car Insurance is warning that this year, more than ever, it’s essential that drivers ensure that their … [Read more...]
Premiums rising again and young drivers’ risk
Motor premiums are rising again after months of decline in the wake of coronavirus travel limits. Dan Hutson, head of motor insurance, comparethemarket.com, said, “Car insurance premiums are on the rise and have increased by £16 to £714 in September, from August. “This follows four consecutive months of declining costs leading to premiums reaching the lowest level in four years during August. … [Read more...]
Self-driving cars too risky on UK roads, say safety experts
British government plans that could allow self-driving cars on highways as soon as 2021 would put lives at risk because the available automated technology falls well short of human driving capabilities, according to safety experts at UK insurance group Thatcham Research. "We don't believe that this technology adequately addresses what consumers will do and how they'll use it," said … [Read more...]
Premiums drop in Wales but beware of higher charges
Drivers in Wales are being urged to shop around as the price of buying a new car insurance policy has dropped by £33, on average – but insurers have been ramping up the cost of renewals, new research finds. New data shows the average price of a new car insurance policy in Wales dropped by 5% - or £33 - in the past 12 months, meaning those who shopped around may have benefitted from a … [Read more...]
Grey fleets not black and white for home-workers
The rise of home working in the wake of the coronavirus crisis is creating issues for fleets when it comes to classifying journeys, says the Association of Fleet Professionals. Describing the problem as “The New Commute,” the organisation says that problems revolve around whether an employee’s home is now officially their place of work. Paul Hollick, AFP chair, explained, “If someone is working … [Read more...]
Newslines 5 October
Thousands of drivers are making big savings by working from home and not paying to use toll bridges, tunnels or motorway sections, says Leasing Options. It has looked at toll costs and found the Dartford Crossing the dearest to use over a year, taking over £3,500 off drivers and even the Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol costs £524 annually. Changing your job title, getting married and … [Read more...]
Key workers and unemployed hit by insurance costs
People unemployed and some ‘key worker’ professions face significantly higher car insurance premiums because of their job or employment status, according to new analysis by comparethemarket. A policy for someone who is unemployed was 40% higher than a comparative policy for an employed person, or 54% higher than an HGV driver which is the cheapest profession for car insurance. The new research … [Read more...]
Company car ‘at home’ danger
Fleets need to work on issues arising from an emerging “home working, home charging” model being created by the rise of electric vehicles and the effects of the coronavirus crisis, says FleetCheck. The fleet software specialist says that a potentially important new subset of company car driver is emerging who now works largely from home and is set to choose an EV as their vehicle because of low … [Read more...]
Claims collapse but will savings be passed on?
As expected, the number of motor insurance claims notified to insurers in the second quarter of the year significantly fell according to figures from the Association of British Insurers. The fall largely reflected the lockdown period, when far fewer vehicle journeys were made. Claim payouts during the period while also down, fell at a lower rate. The figures come as the average price … [Read more...]