Car Insurance. Surf The Net For A Better Deal
Is it coming round to the time to renew your car insurance? Do you, like 23% of car owners, just accept the quote and stay with your insurer? Does it matter that the premium is 5 or 10 per cent more expensive than last years? Maybe its just not worth the hassle of all those phone calls to goodness knows where, thumbing through the yellow pages or wearing out your shoe-leather down town. In addition to this, Insurance companies offer the best rates to new customers, in order to gain their custom. Existing clients generally stay with them anyway.
What about the internet? It really is worth giving it a try. Do you know that, if you shop around you could, on average, save around 55, plus the extra online discount? It is estimated that more than 2.25 million car owners purchase their car insurance on line now. The internet is speedy and simple to use and internet sales are generally growing amazingly fast.
Car insurers really want your business; they will be extremely competitive with pricing in order to win you over. There are around 100 of them in the UK and due to the strong competition in the industry; prices have held level for the past year or so. You can go to the individual insurers websites, comparison websites or use one that recommends specific insurers for different types of driver, whether they be the in the young, higher risk category or the experienced old driver with years of proven safe driving behind them. You will receive instant results and an unbelievable amount of advice and information. Youll be asked to fill in your relevant details, for example the number of years youve been driving, whether there are any convictions, number of years of no claims for your discount. All easily answered and your no claims details should be on your renewal notice.
Apart from the straightforward individual car insurance, new categories of insurance are coming on to the market. There are pay as you go options and multi-car policies. These used to be difficult to obtain unless you were in the car-trade. It certainly seems to be time to re-assess whats available in the car insurance line and get yourself up to date on whats on offer. A short time browsing the internet will get you thinking along the right lines.
A word of warning though; The AAs Ian Crowder says If we dont start to see modest price increases, then there could well be an unpleasant and sudden price hike. This will not be good for the industrys reputation or out customers. Insurers are beginning to show signs that they may not be able to continue to hold down prices for very much longer. Claims are accelerating. The average cost of accidental damage repair has risen, costing an additional 5% per year, despite the fact that there are fewer accidents. Claims for personal injury are rising fast and the cost of settling these is rising at around 12% per annum.
Dont give your insurer the chance to use this as an excuse for a rising premium, get on line and get sorted!
Tags: Car Insurance, Car Insurers, Car Owners, Car Policies, Convictions, Goodness, Hassle, Individual Insurance, Insurance, Insurance Companies, Insurance On Line, Insurance Rates, Insurer, Internet Sales, Relevant Details, Risk Category, Safe Driving, Shoe Leather, Surf The Net, Yellow Pages
Car Insurance. Premiums Driven Down By The Internet.
After so many experts have warned us that the cost of car insurance is on the rise, what’s happened? It’s fallen! It’s mostly down to the growing impact of shopping online.
In the second half of 2005 the average car insurance premium fell from 470.17 to 462.15. But it’s the silver surfers who’ve benefited most. During the last six months of last year, drivers over the age of 65 have seen their average premium fall by 4.5% from 342 to 347. What is most surprising are the huge differences in premiums between providers. Differences of 40% between the most expensive and the cheapest are common.
It seems that most motorists are not aware of this as every year, half of them automatically renew their insurance with their existing insurer. A further 19% only bother to get one competitive quotation.
And readers will be surprised who sells the expensive policies. A recent survey in Which, the consumer magazine, shows that Norwich Union – the UK’s biggest insurer – failed to come top in any of the 36 driver categories surveyed. Direct Line, another well-known name, only managed one top spot.
This is down to the marketing strategies of the big brand names. They have been building up their client base with low prices and heavy advertising and then gradually increase prices. They are clearly relying on apathy and brand loyalty to keep their clients. And with 50% automatically renewing, it works!
But if you decide to shop around, be careful. A low price isn’t everything. Some policies have mouth-wateringly low prices but skimp elsewhere.
For example, when your car is being repaired, do you want a courtesy car? Some policies only pay 100 or so for stolen audio equipment. Is that enough? Do you want to insure your personal belongings whilst they’re in your car? And crucially, some comprehensive policies won’t provide third party cover if you to drive another person’s car – even with their permission!
Before you decide, it’s wise to consider all these aspects.
But going back to price, if you think prices are cheapest on the Internet, you’re right! Internet quotations are normally 5% – 10% cheaper than telephone quotes.
When Internet shopping, most people look for the cheapest quote and then read the details about the cheapest policy to check out that they provide the cover that’s needed. You can hunt for the best deals by searching under car insurance but some of the discount insurance sites are more easily found if you type in discount car insurance or cheap car insurance.
But please remember, when renewal time comes around go shopping again. Don’t automatically renew! It’s so easy on the Internet as I found this year. My previous insurer quoted me 945 and I eventually bought it for 702. A saving of 243 for 30 minutes work.
Tags: Apathy, Aspe, Brand Loyalty, Brand Names, Car Insurance Premiums, Courtesy Car, Insurance, Insurance Premium, Insurer, Marketing Strategies, Motorists, Norwich Uk, Norwich Union, Personal Belongings, Quotation, Second Half, Shopping Online, Silver Surfers, Six Months, Third Party
Car Insurance. Optional Legal Expense Cover Is Well Worth The
Car Insurance. Optional Legal Expense Cover Is Well Worth The Extra.
Peter, our freelance journalists doesn’t take kindly to people driving into his beloved car. No, he doesn’t use his fourteen stone of gym-honed muscle to exact retribution nor is he into road rage. Of course he’s got his car comprehensively insured but he’s also covered another way. He’s got legal insurance. He included in his car insurance as an optional extra. This extra cover allows him to claim for costs and losses excluded covered from normal comprehensive and third party policies. So four months ago when his car was whacked from behind at the traffic lights, the legal profession swung into action! Not for free you understand, after all who’s heard of a solicitor labouring for free? No, but it was free to Peter his insurance company paid all his legal costs.
Whilst the garage appointed by his insurer made a beautiful job repairing his bent MX5, his comprehensive policy didn’t normally cover claims for personal injury or loss of earnings. So the extra 2 a month Peter forked out for legal expense cover, became money well spent. He’s already received compensation for the broken wrist he suffered and negotiations for his loss of earnings are well advanced. One-handed journalists aren’t much use in our office so he took a month off!
Legal expense insurance assists policyholders to claim back losses and compensation where the accident wasn’t their fault. The losses can include the cost of hiring a replacement car whilst yours is in the garage and, for those not comprehensively insured, the costs of having your car repaired. As in Peter’s case, legal expense insurance will also fund claims for personal injury and loss of earnings.
Cover for legal expense is one of those insurances that’s under rated until it’s called on. The insurer will run the claim for you and sends the settlement cheque at the end of the process. All you have to do is record the facts on the legal expense claim form, speak to the solicitor nominated by your insurer, be prepared to answer a few follow-up questions, and sit back. If the case goes to court, they’ll represent you and fight your corner although you may also have to attend.
Most car insurance policies sold on the Internet don’t automatically include legal expense cover it’s normally an optional extra. That’s because price competition on the net is so fierce that the insurers prefer to keep their headline premiums down as low as possible.
You’ll find that the optional cost of legal expense cover does vary from insurer to insurer. For example, More Than comes in at 17.85 per year, Direct Line 19.95, Churchill 21 and Budget 24 per year. Just a few insurance companies such as Admiral, include some legal expense cover for free.
So make sure you don’t forget legal expense cover when you buy car insurance. Complicated claims for compensation can drag on your years especially if severe injury is involved, and final settlements can end up in millions.
Tags: Beloved Car, Car Insurance, Four Months, Freelance Journalists, Insurance Company, Insurances, Insurer, Labouring, Legal Expense Insurance, Legal Insurance, Legal Profession, Loss Of Earnings, Party Policies, Personal Injury, Policyholders, Replacement Car, Retribution, Road Rage, Solicitor, Traffic Lights
Car Insurance. Involved In An Accident With An Uninsured Driver?
Car Insurance. Involved In An Accident With An Uninsured Driver?
Uninsured drivers are ten times more likely to drink and drive and three times more likely to be convicted of driving without due care and attention. They also cause one accident every six months. In fact one in twenty motorists regularly drive without insurance. It’s therefore not perhaps surprising that, one in ten of all motorists have been involved in accidents with uninsured drivers. The question is what to do if you’re involved in an accident with one?
At the time of the accident you’re unlikely to realise that the other driver is uninsured so you’ll have to react in the normal way. Take a note of the other car’s make, model and registration number. Also note the other driver’s name and address but whether he’ll give you his correct details is perhaps unlikely! Nevertheless, always record what the other driver says. Unless you have this information you’ll have no leg to stand on when it comes to getting some of your money back.
Also take notes about the damage to the other car and the accident scene. Remember to note road markings, road signs, light and weather conditions and whether the other car had its lights on in fact as much detail as possible. Then if you’re lucky enough to have an independent witness get their full contact details. And if you happen to have a camera in the car, take lots of pictures – and try and get one with the other driver clearly in the picture. The police might like that one!
If your policy is comprehensive, your insurer pay for your car to be repaired but you could lose your no claims discount unless you’ve paid to protect it. But then there’s the issue of your excess payment that’s the first part of the repair cost you have to pay for. You’ll have to pay that unless you’re lucky enough to have a policy that waives the excess payment if you’re hit by an uninsured driver.
For those of you with third party car insurance, you’re in for a hard time. Your insurer won’t pay for your repairs and, as the other driver is uninsured, you’re not going to get any money off him unless you can trace him and succeed in a court action. Even then there’s no guarantee that he’ll pay up! Your only guaranteed solution is to make a compensation claim to the Motor Insurers’ Bureau – but you’ll still have to pay the first 300 of the claim.
The Motor Insurers’ Bureau insists that have the other drivers’ car registration number and you must first report the accident to the police. Always ask the police for a copy of their accident report as the Bureau’s likely to ask to see it. The Bureau’s telephone number is 01908 671681 or you can e-mail them on enquiries@mib.org.uk.
At the moment The UK’ Law is being amended to crackdown on uninsured drivers. Not before time. Anyone keeping, not just driving, an uninsured vehicle now faces a fixed 100 fine and can also have their car seized and crushed. Currently the average fine for driving without insurance is just 170 and that’s hardly a punishment when car insurance costs many times more. Losing the car plus a fine of 100 is much more realistic. Let’s hope that the courts fully implement the crushing sanction!
A police spokesman said recently, Uninsured drivers are often guilty of many other driving related offences, such as having no driving licence or MOT certificate. We’re doing everything in our power to get these dangerous and illegal drivers off our roads.
We say, go to it blues and two’s!
Tags: Accident Scene, Accidents, Contact Details, Correct Details, Driving Without Due Care And Attention, Full Contact, Independent Witness, Insurer, Motorists, Name And Address, Party Car, Registration Number, Road Markings, Road Signs, Six Months, Third Party Car Insurance, Three Times, Uninsured Driver, Uninsured Drivers, Weather Conditions
Car Insurance. Bad Eyesight Threatens Your Insurance Cover.
If you have an accident and its found that youd failed to keep your car roadworthy, for example excessively worn tyres, and that was a contributory factor in the accident, your insurer will probably refuse to pay up. And the police may also show an interest too! Quite reasonable many of you will say. But what if its you thats un-roadworthy?
How many driving accidents are accompanied by the comment I didnt see the other vehicle? And what happens if the problem was your eyesight? Has it deteriorated to a dangerous extent?
Well all of us clearly know if we have an eyesight problem but there are opticians to help on every high street. Remember, if you need contact lenses or glasses for driving then you must wear them and if your eyesight deteriorates you should get a new prescription. Its the legal responsibility of all drivers to ensure that theyre safe to drive.
Only last week I drew up alongside an elderly driver who was clearly having trouble reading the junction signs. He was leaning forward trying to read the signs indicating towards Leeds and rolling forward at 10 mph all this at traffic lights that by this time had turned red and he clearly hadnt seen those! He was lucky that the cars coming across from the right saw him early. Im not even sure he saw them either!
The law is quite straightforward it states that any driving licence holder who cannot meet the minimum level of eyesight must not drive. They are also required to surrender their licence.
The eyesight test for drivers states that you must be able to read a number plate containing letters and figures 50 mm wide and 79mm high (thats a legal number plate) from a distance of 20 meters. But you can use your driving glasses.
Having said that theres no legal obligation for you to have regular eyesight tests but you are required to tell the DVLA if you develop any medical problem that affects your fitness to drive. If you dont tell them, its a criminal offence.
In some American states drivers have to take an eye test every five years but not in the UK. Here, driver aged 70 and over must complete a medical form every three years confirming their fitness to drive and the definition of fitness includes eyesight. If theses drivers fail to send in their medical form, they lose their driving licence. (I wonder what that elderly gentleman at the traffic lights said on his?)
On the insurance front, if you are involved in an accident where your defective eyesight was a contributory factor, your insurance company may well argue that you were negligent and refuse to pay out. This could be simply because you needed glasses to drive but werent wearing them at the time.
So drive carefully, and keep your eyes peeled elderly gentleman in Leeds please take note!
Tags: Americ, Bad Eyesight, Car Insurance, Contact Lenses, Contributory Factor, Criminal Offence, Driving Accidents, Driving Licence, Dvla, Elderly Driver, Eyesight Test, Eyesight Tests, Insurer, Junction Signs, Legal Obligation, Legal Responsibility, Licence Holder, Medical Problem, Roadworthy, Traffic Lights
