Scotland was hit the hardest by the extreme weather with high winds of 90mph reported, and this was certainly reflected in the claims figures issued by the AA for this part of the country with a 65% rise in the number of car insurance claims in the first five days of this month compared to the same time last January. Common claims according to the AA included accidents related to car doors with many policyholders reporting having their car doors ripped out of their hands by the strong winds.

Car insurance claims shoot up by 28% at start of 2012 Car insurance claims shot up by as much as 28% in the first 5 days of January 2012, car insurance provider the AA has reported. High winds and stormy weather conditions which affected the UK in the early part ofthe New Year have been blamed for the sharp rise in claims on motor insurance policies.Statistics show that as many as 5,600 car insurance claims in the early part of January acrossthe UK could be related to, or caused by, the stormy weather.

Scotland was hit the hardest by the extreme weather with high winds of 90mph reported,and this was certainly reflected in the claims figures issued by the AA for this part of thecountry with a 65% rise in the number of car insurance claims in the first five days of thismonth compared to the same time last January.

Common claims according to the AA included accidents related to car doors with manypolicyholders reporting having their car doors ripped out of their hands by the strong winds.This has resulted in claims for damage to car door hinges, also smashed windows and alsodamage to cars parked next to the vehicle.

Other claims reported to the AA arose as a result of items not being fixed down properlywith cars being damaged by flying trampolines, garden sheds wheelie bins and TV aerials.

The eInsurance Group which serves 280,000 insurance applications every month carried out research into the habits of both sexes when it comes to divulging information which could have an effect on their insurance policy. The insurance provider say they have noted an upturn in the number of female drivers avoiding the truth when taking out policies.

In May of this year, the provider revealed that 20% of their policies underwent fraud investigations. Out of those policies which were subsequently declined, 51% were made by women, while 49% were made by men.

The top untruths uncovered by the investigations included not fully disclosing convictions, of which 47% of women were guilty compared to 64% of male drivers. Giving misleading information regarding licence length was highlighted as a reason for revoking 68% of insurance policies for women drivers, and 32% of male drivers. 53% of female policy holders and 47% of male policy holders were caught out as a result of incorrectly stating the length of their no claims bonus.

Car insurance fraud has added 38% to the cost of all annual insurance policies over the last year, forcing 1.3 million drivers off the road as they can no longer afford the cost of their premiums.

The results have spurred eInsurance to start a new campaign, Truth or Dare, to encourage drivers to take a more truthful approach to their car insurance.

Comprehensive car insurance policies rose by a massive 38% over the course of 2010, but Third Party Fire and Theft car insurance policies fared even worse and suffered a 56% increase on average which translates into an extra £322 on each of these policies.

The huge price hikes have left most motorists worried about how they’ll afford insurance in the future if prices continue to rise at their present rate.

The experts believe the dramatic increases we witnessed in car insurance premiums last year were fuelled by a rise in personal injury claims, and also the practice of “fronting” where parents put themselves as the first name driver on a policy in order to get cheaper insurance for a child.

However the verdict from several industry experts is that the price hikes are starting to lose momentum and rates are beginning to level off.

According to one insurance specialist from moneysupermarket.com, premiums will rise throughout the coming year, but not at the same rate which we’ve previously witnessed, which spells good news for UK motorists. Many are predicting a rise in premiums throughout year of 20%, which is significantly lower than the 38% rise we experienced in 2010.

Autoquake, the UK’s largest online car retailer which boasts being ten per cent cheaper than car supermarkets, asked 1,000 car insurance policyholders to name the signal after amber.

Just under half (48 %) said red, while 39% thought the amber light would turn green next.

Almost one in ten motor insurance holders thought a green and amber signal would follow in the sequence, while six per cent thought red with amber would appear.

“We’re surprised that so few drivers remember the traffic light sequence correctly,” said Dermot Halpin, chief executive officer at Autoquake.

“Drivers should remember that an amber light means stop unless it is unsafe to do so. As pedestrians we’re worried that so many drivers expect to see a green and amber signal since this doesn’t exist!”

In central London there are 2.4 personal injury accidents per year at traffic lights, according to GLA Economics.

Due to so few drivers knowing the signal sequence, “perhaps this is one of the reasons”, he said.

News source credits: swiftcover.com

According to the Daily Mail, the coalition government has decided to ditch the idea of a fair fuel tax stabiliser, which was one of the key commitments outlined in the Conservatives’ election manifesto.

The government’s new document of policy pledges makes no mention of the tax plan and AA president Edmund King has written to the chancellor George Osborne to voice his concerns at the move.

“This will concern Britain’s motorists if it has been dropped without the promised consultation. It was something that appealed to Britain’s 33 million motorists,” the newspaper reports him as saying.

Transport secretary Philip Hammond had previously pledged to end the previous government’s ‘war on motorists’ by bringing down the cost of driving.

However, Mr King believes the decision to scrap the fuel tax plan is another blow for car insurance customers.

News source: news.swiftcover.com

In addition, the body is to provide live traffic information to road users, with Friday evening and Saturday lunchtime predicted to be the busiest periods.

The agency states that more than 228 miles of road improvement works will be suspended on motorways and major A roads.

Motor insurance holders can access up-to-the-minute travel information from the body’s website as well as on local radio stations and on mobile platforms such as the iPhone.

Roads Minister Mike Penning said that the move will ease congestion and help people enjoy their extended break.

“To help road users with their journeys, the Highways Agency will remove as many sets of roadworks as it is safe and practical to do so,”  he stated.

News source: news.swiftcover.com

There have been two incidents reported in the last month where drivers have been stopped and asked for directions only to find valuables have been taken from their vehicles.

In one incident, a woman was approached in a Tesco car park by a man seeking directions and while she was telling him where to go, his accomplice stole her handbag.

The second case involved the same car park and circumstances, only this time the victim had her bank card taken from her purse.

A spokesperson for Nottinghamshire Police said it is important that car insurance holders remain aware of all potential threats.

“We ask people to remain vigilant at all times and to be cautious if approached by someone with a map. Keep an eye on personal belongings and make sure other doors are locked within the vehicle,” the representative added.

Reporting to Brit Insurance’s general manager in the Netherlands, Ferdinand Voskens, he takes up the new role immediately and will also join the board of Brit Insurance Gibraltar (PCC) Limited.

Peter Goddard, commercial director at Brit Insurance said:

“Andrew has played a key role in the establishment and ongoing success of our Gibraltar office and is ideally-placed to lead our operations there.”

Brit is a leading provider of commercial insurance products in the UK and a leading participant in the London Market for commercial insurance and reinsurance business.

According to a study conducted by TNS RI Travel and Tourism on behalf of Travel Weekly, one in five holidaymakers would now be more likely to ensure they had the correct travel insurance policy in place so they would be covered should any problems arise.

In addition, 80 per cent of the organisation’s members said that the authorities were correct in closing UK airspace on the grounds of health and safety.

However, a quarter of those questioned stated that the decision to resume flights could have been made quicker.

Tom Costley, head research partner at TNS RI Travel and Tourism, said: “As a one-off event, it was unlikely to have a significant impact on travel patterns for the rest of 2010, with the possible exception of an increase in travel insurance.”

News source: swiftcover.com

Related news story: Aviva launches volcanic ash insurance

The news comes after the Office for National Statistics announced that car insurance premiums saw a rise of 6.3% in the month of April alone. The increase in insurance premiums means it is the second fastest growing expense for motorists behind the rising price of fuel.

Experts at the ABI explained how growing legal costs are contributing to the increase in insurance premiums. They say that it isn’t down to the fact that insurance companies are paying out more money for personal injury claims, but the money which is spent on the legal costs for these claims which is forcing the cost of premiums to rise.

Quoting official government figures, the spokesman from the ABI said, “for personal injury claims under £10,000, for every £1 paid in compensation, a further 76p is paid in legal costs. And the smaller the claim, the more disproportionate these costs are.”

It’s been estimated these cost which are responsible for increasing the car insurance premiums of all motorists by 10%.