Latest Car Insurance News

Welcome to Expert Car Insurance News. Here you will find all the latest information concerning the motor insurance industry.

Posted July 2007

The potential for car insurance claims keeps pace with road traffic congestion

The DfT has issued its statistical bulletin relating to traffic, road congestion, and vehicle speed for Great Britain, in its Road Statistics for 2006.

It shows that for the first time road traffic in Great Britain was over 500 billion vehicle kilometres, at 506. This is up 7 billion vehicle kilometres over the previous year, an increase of 1.4%. Of these, cars amounted to 79% of all traffic which is a 12% growth over the last 10 years. This shows that individuals continue to prefer the independence and other benefits of motor travel.

Push bike travel showed an increase of 5% in just one year to 4.6 billion vehicle kilometres, an impressive year on year rise in non-polluting traffic, but still under 1% of total traffic.

In terms of the types of roads travelled 20% used the nation’s motorways and 28% of traffic travelled down rural ‘A’ roads. A further 22% was down urban minor roads, 16% on urban ‘A’ roads and 14% on rural minor roads. Motorways showed a 27% increase over the last 10 years which in view of the number of miles of motorway in Great Britain shows that they are fast becoming the preferred arteries of the nations distance and local traffic. And contrary to popular belief the weekday roads are busier than weekends, despite the fact that roads are at their busiest during the rush periods only.

For traffic speeds, the average on roads with a 40 mph limit the average speed was 36 mph and in 30 mph areas the average was 30 mph, and although that means that a large number of drivers must have been travelling at over 30, the number of motorists speeding has dropped from three quarters in 1996 to half in 2006.

In major 18 urban areas the peak period speed registered just 17.8 mph, so the message remains try to travel outside the work time rushes.

Whichever way you travel, if you are on the road during the peak periods the motorways are becoming more choked and urban roads are maintaining their stop-start speed patterns, both of which are prime situations for accidents and subsequent car insurance claims.

Posted July 2007

More than 4 million drivers don’t make it through the test

A study by Churchill car insurance has determined that as many as 4 million people have given up trying to pass their driving test because it’s just too stressful and traumatic.

The distressing range of symptoms that these provisional drivers endure includes:
- Freezing behind the wheel during or even before a test or even a lesson
- Becoming so anxious that they were physically sick before lessons and tests
- Suffering bouts of depression for periods of time after each test failure
- Frustration and anger at being the subject of jokes and sarcasm from friends and family

The pressure and physical exhaustion causes women and men never to move on from being a learner driver. On a ratio of around 2 : 1, women being the larger group, these drivers amount to around 12% of the survey and nationwide they have spent in excess of £3 billion on lessons, only to throw in the towel before reaching their goal. On average they will have had 35 lessons before admitting defeat and a diehard 2% will have taken 10 tests before submitting to the inevitable.

Of those that qualify, 60% pass their test in less than 12 months but 4% battle on for between 5 and 10 years before they manage to pass the test.

A spokesperson for Churchill said that it’s was worth while investing time in becoming confident behind the wheel, this will pay dividends specially as people place pressure on themselves to pass first time in as little time and the smallest number of lessons possible.

The major causes for failing the driving test for men and women were given as follows:

Posted July 2007

Due care and attention confuses drivers

High street car insurance broker Swintons carried out an online survey that reveals that there is a high level of confusion about what constitutes a driving offence.

Over 75% of motorists believe that they are within their rights to change a CD or light a cigarette while driving, or more romantically hold their partner’s hand. In the same survey more that 66% thought that applying lipstick while driving would be OK. It was less clear cut when activities like eating a sandwich were considered with a 49% minority thinking this was legal.

The stark reality is that all of these actions can be worthy of legal proceedings if you are observed and deemed not to have full command of your car, i.e. concentrating on any activity other than controlling your vehicle, can be considered to be committing an offence under section 3 of the 1988 Road Traffic Act. The provisions of the Act under careless and inconsiderate driving means that anyone driving without due care and attention or without reasonable consideration for other road users is guilty of an offence and liable for a fine, currently up to £2,500 and up to nine penalty points on their license or disqualification.

Almost all drivers realised that using a hand held mobile phone whilst driving is illegal but according to a Swinton car insurance spokesperson, it’s important that drivers are aware that there are many activities that makes individual policemen feel, under their discretion, that a driver is not in full control of their vehicle. To this end the Driving Standards Authority has suggested an amendment to the next issue of the Highway Code to include 30 new rules which includes smoking whilst driving.

Other activities that could find you facing a fine and points on your license include, reading a map on your lap or car seat beside you, gesticulating towards a bad driver, observing a satellite navigation screen on the dashboard, fiddling with car stereo controls or even singing along to music.

Posted July 2007

80 Classrooms of children killed and injured last year

Britain’s car insurance companies had the unenviable and distressing task of dealing with claims for the serious injury and death of enough children to fill 80 normal classrooms (2,025) last year. Of these 169 were road fatalities, which is an increase of 20% over the previous year. The latest government statistics also highlighted that our roads are now the greatest risk to our kids and youngsters, killing more of them between the ages of 10 and 24 than any other cause.

There is a startling need for education among our drivers and equally important, our pedestrians. For the kids, the RAC Foundation is stressing the need to teach our children while they are still very young, anything over 4 years old, about the dangers of being on or near a road. To assist in this they have launched an online game at www.zebracrossinggame.com that emphasizes the need to keep safe and getting the rules of the road implanted in a fun way that should make them easy to remember. For the drivers and adults, they are prompted to show their support and commitment by signing the Make Roads Safe campaign’s appeal for an international conference on children’s safety on the road of the World, under the leadership of the UN in advance of UN Global Road Safety Week.

RAC Foundation have also urged the government to take a holistic approach that considers this teaching need together with a fresh look at the design of our highways and the safety, both inside and outside, of our cars.

Posted July 2007

Alzheimer's disease shouldn’t mean an automatic ban

The In a paper just issued in the British Medical Journal it has been suggested that drivers who are diagnosed with dementia should not necessarily be barred immediately from driving. The report says that removing the right to drive when the sufferer remains capable can prevent access to social and care networks such as friends and family.

Currently the rules state that the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has to be notified as soon as a sufferer of Alzheimer’s disease or any other dementia presents to doctor and that doctor believes that there is any doubt in the patient’s ability to drive safely. In the absence of further evidence the normal decision is that in the interests of safety the right to drive should be withdrawn.

Following research from Scandinavia, the United States and Australia which shows that drivers diagnosed with dementia are not involved in a significantly higher number of accidents than non-sufferers for up to three years following first diagnosis, the report suggests that drivers exceeding 80 years old can be totally safe behind the wheel and display exhibit sensible and cautious driving behaviour.

It remains true however, that car insurance providers will tend to load the premium of a person in the very early stages, if they will insure them at all.

Suggesting that the ‘three year rule’ should be introduced into our driving license laws for dementia sufferers, Professor Desmond O’Neill advocated the need to balance the requirement for road safety with the patient’s need for mobility and social interaction.