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eGroup
Motoring & Insurance News November 08
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Motorists
warned that unused cars should still be insured
Motorists contemplating cancelling their car insurance as
a result of parking their second or third vehicles in a garage
permanently to cut costs have been advised to give the idea
a second thought.
With
many families focusing on using one car to keep costs down
and leaving another vehicle unused to combat the credit crunch,
Adrian Flux Insurance Services has warned drivers of the continued
risk of fire and theft.
The
company states that if a driver does cancel their cheap car
insurance because a vehicle is not going to be used and kept
off the road, it is unlikely that a household insurance policy
will cover any damage it may suffer.
Gerry
Bucke of Flux said: "We recommend people contact their insurance
company and change their cover to 'fire and theft only' if
they decide to take their vehicle off the road. "That way
they can be sure they won't be caught short if something nasty
happens."
Research
earlier this year from Deloitte found that 18 per cent of
motorists plan to get cheaper car insurance by downgrading
from a comprehensive car insurance policy to third party cover
Source:
eCar
Insurance 24-11-08 Back
to top
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Extra
points for speeders under government proposals
Finding cheap car insurance could prove to be more of a problem
for many motorists as government proposals seem set to lead
to drivers caught breaking a speed limit by 20 miles per hour
being punished with six points on their licence.
Currently,
magistrates have the power to award a driver six penalty points
if excessively speeding, but under the new proposals, the
same number of points could be given out under a fixed penalty.
However,
Nigel Humphries of the Association of British Drivers believes
that drivers making normal progress could find themselves
being hit by the punishment, decreasing the chances of a driver
obtaining cheaper car insurance in the future.
He
said: "Nobody minds people getting six points for driving
past a school at 50mph when the children are milling around,
but most of these six point penalties will be dished out on
dual carriageways where the limit is 20mph below a reasonable
speed."
A
recent study by Hyundai discovered that many youngsters prefer
the driving of their mother over their father because fathers
drive faster, more aggressively and regularly lose their tempers
behind the wheel
Source:
eCar
Insurance 24-11-08 Back
to top
__________________________________
Cold
weather tyres offer road safety boost
Motorists
looking to boost their road safety over the winter months
have been advised by TyreSafe to plump for cold weather tyres.
With
many motorists opting to continue driving around on more standard
tyres, the firm suggests that cold weather tyres could be
the answer to reducing road accident numbers. Figures from
the Department for Transport reveal that last year slippery
roads caused 55 per cent of road accidents in which the road
environment was a factor.
TyreSafe chairman Rob Beddis said: "With temperatures frequently
below seven degrees C in the UK over the winter, particularly
in rush hour when the traffic is at its heaviest, cold weather
tyres offer a sensible alternative on the wet roads. "They
are designed to perform more effectively in the cold and wet
weather, dramatically improving stopping distances."
Recent
research by moneysupermarket.com stated that a motorist could
see a cheap car insurance quote rise by as much as 60 per
cent if they are deemed to be at fault in an accident.
Source:
eCar
Insurance 21-11-08 Back
to top
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Fault
in accident leads to car insurance increase
A
motorist who is declared to be at fault in an accident could
see their future car insurance quote rise by as much as 60
per cent, new research has found.
Moneysupermarket.com
has looked at ten million quotes and discovered that it is
exceedingly hard for a motorist at fault in an accident to
find cheap car insurance when they have to renew their quote.
The
research found, slightly worryingly, that bus drivers are
the most liable to crash their own cars (16 per cent), with
those in the health industry, including GPs and speech therapists
also high on the accident fault list.
Peter
Gerrard, head of insurance research at moneysupermarket.com,
said: "Being at fault in a car accident is terrifying enough
for any motorist but with purse strings tightening all over
the country a hike of over 60 per cent on premiums should
make Brits think twice about running risks on the roads.
"When
an insurer risk assesses a driver, any history of accidents
will no doubt mean motorists pay more."
Sheilas'
Wheels recently stated that women are often provided with
cheaper car insurance than men because the cost of their claims
after an accident is much less.
Source: eCar
Insurance 5-11-08 Back
to top
__________________________________
Barnes
escapes driving ban after car insurance blunder
Former
Liverpool and England footballer John Barnes has escaped a
driving ban because he claims that he cannot afford to pay
for a driver.
The
44-year-old still earns £4,000 a week, but after being caught
driving without car insurance he has escaped punishment.
Barnes
already had nine points on his licence, but the six point
penalty for driving with no licence, which would have taken
him over the 12-point instant ban limit, was not activated
by magistrates in Northwich, Cheshire.
He
told magistrates that he couldn't hire a driver because his
wages "varied drastically" while adding that a driving ban
would prevent him carrying out his new job of managing the
Jamaican football team, as he couldn't rely on public transport
to view matches.
Barnes
said: "I'd been in the Caribbean for two months when my insurance
ran out and I thought my wife had sorted it out."
The
current ITV pundit was fined £2,000 and the points were imposed
on his licence but suspended.
Around
one in every 20 motorists are hitting the road without even
cheap car insurance, according to the Association
of British Insurers.
Source:
eCar
Insurance 3-11-08 Back
to top
__________________________________
Motorists
failing to wear seatbelts
More than one in ten motorists (12 per cent) admit to not
wearing a seat belt when driving short distances because they
do not think they will be involved in a road accident, new
research has found.
Direct
Line has revealed that 19 per cent of motorists admit to not
wearing a seatbelt, with some interesting reasons stated for
this.
Among
the top excuses include 38 per cent of motorists saying they
simply forgot, 11 per cent saying they do many short trips
and have to regularly get out of a vehicle and eight per cent
honestly saying they can't be bothered.
Maggie
Game, head of car insurance for Direct Line, said: "Taking
a few seconds to put your seatbelt on can significantly reduce
the likelihood of being seriously injured or killed in a car
crash.
"Motorists
should not start a journey until all occupants have buckled-up
in preparation for what is one of the most dangerous activities
we undertake."
Recently,
moneysupermarket.com discovered that a motorist found to be
at fault in an accident could see their future car insurance
quote rise by as much as 60 per cent.
Source:
eCar
Insurance 6-11-08 Back
to top
__________________________________
Motorists
leaving valuables in vehicles
Motorists
are leaving themselves more open to future rises in car insurance
costs by failing to remove valuables from their vehicles.
According
to a report from LV=, items such as mobile phones, clothes
and wallets are generally left in vehicles on UK roads, encouraging
thieves to break into them.
The
report found that the average value of the goods left in a
car is £380, while younger drivers are equally as lax with
removing their possessions.
Some
40 per cent of all thefts occur on residential streets. However,
despite the perceived high risk of car parks, only nine per
cent of thefts occur there.
Emma
Holyer, spokesperson for LV= Car Insurance, said: "These figures
show a casual attitude amongst motorists when it comes to
leaving their belongings in their car.
"The
fact is that most car break-ins are by opportunist thieves
who would probably not bother to break into the car if it
looked as though it didn't contain anything to steal."
According
to Sheilas' Wheels, women find it easier to get cheap car
insurance because they make less costly claims.
Source:
eCar
Insurance 7-11-08 Back
to top
__________________________________
Road
casualty reduction aided by high fuel prices
The
high fuel prices that have especially hit motorists in recent
months have been touted as the main reason for a reduction
in road casualty figures.
Government
figures for the second period of 2008 showed that the number
of deaths due to road accidents has decreased, and AA president
Edmund King has put this down to increases at the pumps.
He
argues that the result of high petrol prices was that motorists
drove more economically to save money and generally reduced
the amount of time they used their vehicles.
"This
quarter saw petrol prices rising towards their maximum, which
was reached on 17th July, and industrial disputes affecting
petrol supply. 77 per cent of drivers in our AA/Populus survey
said they had reduced journeys, cut back on other expenditure,
or done both as a result of high fuel prices," he said.
"Drivers
also indicated that they were slowing down to save fuel. These
actions could have contributed to a reduction in accidents
and deaths."
Driving
more economically and decreasing the chance of being involved
in a road accident could also have a positive impact on a
driver's search for cheap car insurance, as they build up
their no claims bonus.
Source:
eCar
Insurance 7-11-08 Back
to top
__________________________________
Win
or lose motorists should pay legal bills for speeding
Motorists should be forced to pay their legal bills when they
challenge a speeding ticket even if they win their case, it
has been stated.
Every
year, 1.7 million drivers take their cases to court and government
ministers are creating proposals which would see defendants
lose their right to claim back their costs, a right that has
been in action for a century.
Jack
Straw's Ministry of Justice has published a consultation paper
explaining the proposal, with it costing £1,500 per case to
fight charges of speeding.
Junior
Minister Lord Bach said: "Just as an individual who chooses
to put their child through private education does not reclaim
this cost from the education system, nor should public funding
recompense those who choose to pay privately for a lawyer
when a publicly-funded alternative is available."
A
motorist caught speeding does not only have to pay an on the
spot fine but will also see points added to their driving
licence, which in turn increases the cost of a future car
insurance quote.
Source:
eCar
Insurance 7-11-08 Back
to top
__________________________________
Clearing
boot offers financial savings
Many motorists are increasing their car running costs by not
clearing unneeded baggage out of the boot of their vehicles,
according to The Energy Saving Trust.
The
organisation's smarter driving expert Tim Anderson has stated
that by not removing unneeded belongings out of a vehicle's
boot, a person is increasing the amount of fuel they are using.
Thus
making the point that a vehicle can achieve more miles per
gallon of fuel if it holds a lighter load.
He
said: "The reason we are talking about clearing out their
boots is because actually by carrying around excess stuff
in the back of the car, the car has to work a little bit harder
so it uses more fuel.
"That
adds to your fuel costs and it also increases the amount of
carbon dioxide and CO2 that your car emits."
Another
way a driver can lower their motoring costs as well as emptying
their boot is to step up their search for cheaper car insurance
by making more of an effort to shop around.
Source:
eCar
Insurance 7-11-08 Back
to top
__________________________________
Money
more important than shorter commute for UK workers
Brits
would be more willing to clock up a few extra miles on their
daily commute to work than take a pay cut, a new study has
found.
Despite
growing numbers of Brits looking into the possibility of adopting
a more flexible work load, many are now coming under economic
pressure as the cost of living keeps rising, forcing them
into accepting long journey times as a necessary evil and
looking to try and locate cheap car insurance.
According
to research carried out by the Trade Unions Congress (TUC),
UK workers commute for an average 54 minutes each day, with
those employed within the financial sector most likely to
be on the road for an hour or more.
Furthermore,
it was found that those in senior management positions or
in well-paid industries such as mining were commuting for
the longest, with a sizeable majority unwilling to give up
their jobs in favour of something closer to home.
Paul
Sellers, working time policy adviser at the TUC, explained:
"People will travel a long way for jobs in mining and quarrying
because those are quite well paid jobs for those who don't
have many qualifications.
"Many
of those workers would prefer to stay in the industry than
take a 50 per cent pay cut and work nearer to home."
Source:
eCar
Insurance 31-10-08 Back
to top
__________________________________
Eco-driving
offers financial and health benefits
Improvements financially and in a driver's road safety are
among the key reasons why a motorist should drive more economically,
a driving examiner believes.
Bob
Millard, the Driving Standard Agency's assistant chief driving
examiner, states there are many incentives to driving economically
including making a wide range of financial savings.
He
said: "Good driving and road safety is based on hazard perception
and this is also the foundation of eco-safe driving. By adopting
eco-safe driving techniques, drivers will be safer, with a
reduction in the risk of accidents, and their journeys will
be less stressful.
"Eco-safe
driving does indeed reduce wear and tear on a vehicle, and
maintenance costs can also be reduced (in addition to the
savings made on fuel)."
By
lowering the risk of being in an accident, a motorist opting
to drive in a more environmentally-friendly way may also increase
their chances of finding cheap car insurance in the future,
as they build up a no claims bonus.
Source:
eCar
Insurance 6-11-08 Back
to top
__________________________________
Young
men better at junctions than women
Young male drivers cope better at busy junctions compared
with their female counterparts, new figures have stated.
The
Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has revealed that 43
per cent of young men struggle to cope with busy intersections
in urban areas, compared with 46 per cent of young women.
To
help reduce these figures, the IAM is calling on the car insurance
industry to recognise the benefits of young drivers who pass
additional driving courses and provide them with a cheaper
car insurance quote as a result.
Also,
the education system is being asked to integrate road safety
education into the core school curriculum to help youngsters
be more aware of their responsibilities on the road, whether
as a driver, passenger or pedestrian.
Kevin
Delaney, IAM head of road safety, said: "The majority of young
drivers have the right attitude to driving but aren't fully
prepared for dealing with more complicated junctions, which
they may not have come across in order to pass their driving
test."
Cheaper
car insurance is available for young motorists who undertake
additional driving courses such as a Pass Plus exam, according
to the Association of British Insurers
Source:
eCar
Insurance 13-10-08 Back
to top
__________________________________
Motorists
want elderly driver re-tests
A large percentage of motorists believe that elderly drivers
should be forced into taking some kind of regular driving
test to prove they are fit for the roads.
A
poll by breakdown company Autonational Record discovered that
40 per cent of the 1,000 adults questioned believed a driver
should be re-tested when they reached 70.
Another
14 per cent believed re-testing should be brought in once
a driver reached 65 and 12 per cent thought 60 was an appropriate
age for a re-test.
Some
11 per cent believed an elderly driver should only take their
test again if they were involved in an accident and just 13
per cent stated they should not be re-tested at all.
Also,
some motorists aged over 70 lent their weight to the argument
that re-tests should be applied.
Autonational's
marketing manager Ronan Hart said: "It's estimated that a
quarter of all drivers will be 70 or over by 2050 compared
to just 9 per cent now.
"And
statistics show that those aged 70 or over are three times
more likely to be involved in a road accident than those aged
between 45 and 60."
Elderly
motorists looking to make savings on a car insurance quote
may want to consider shopping around to try and get cheap
car insurance.
Source:
eCar
Insurance 21-10-08 Back
to top
__________________________________
Motorists
told not to go without car insurance
As the finances of many people continue to be squeezed by
the credit crunch, consumers have been advised to think carefully
if they are to cut back on certain payments.
The
British
Insurance Brokers' Association (BIBA) has stated that
many people will be looking to make financial cutbacks to
reduce expenditure, but they should be careful where these
cutbacks are made as some payments are unavoidable.
BIBA
technical and corporate affairs executive Graeme Trudgill
has stated that payments such as car insurance are required
by law so these have to be paid.
"If
you are going to review your insurances there are some that
you should keep and some that you perhaps don't need," he
added.
Among
the policies that a person can safely cancel is that of their
mobile phone or internet.
A
way in which a person could save money without totally foregoing
car insurance is to shop around for cheaper car insurance
quote.
Other
ways to make savings could include reducing the chances of
a car being damaged or stolen by fitting it with an alarm
or parking it in a garage where possible
Source:
eCar
Insurance 29-10-08 Back
to top
__________________________________
Money
more important than shorter commute for UK workers
Brits would be more willing to clock up a few extra miles
on their daily commute to work than take a pay cut, a new
study has found.
Despite
growing numbers of Brits looking into the possibility of adopting
a more flexible work load, many are now coming under economic
pressure as the cost of living keeps rising, forcing them
into accepting long journey times as a necessary evil and
looking to try and locate cheap car insurance
According
to research carried out by the Trade Unions Congress (TUC),
UK workers commute for an average 54 minutes each day, with
those employed within the financial sector most likely to
be on the road for an hour or more.
Furthermore,
it was found that those in senior management positions or
in well-paid industries such as mining were commuting for
the longest, with a sizeable majority unwilling to give up
their jobs in favour of something closer to home.
Paul
Sellers, working time policy adviser at the TUC, explained:
"People will travel a long way for jobs in mining and quarrying
because those are quite well paid jobs for those who don't
have many qualifications.
"Many
of those workers would prefer to stay in the industry than
take a 50 per cent pay cut and work nearer to home."
Source:
eCar
Insurance 31-10-08
eGroup
is a wholly owned subsidiary of Group Direct. eGroup has been
commissioned by Southern Rock Insurance to develop and administer
its internet based insurance sales and administration systems.
All sites allow customers to buy and fully administer their
own policies online from quote to renewal.
This
allows Southern Rock to keep expenses extremely low and pass
some of those savings on to the consumer. The first of these
sites, eBike, was launched in April 2005 to much acclaim and
has in its first 18 months sold around 50,000 policies since
its launch. eGroup is currently developing a number of new
e-products: ehome, eTravel, eMinibus, and Radical.com
(a young driver product). They expect to see an explosive
growth in the field of e-commerce and we are well positioned
to take advantage of the developing market.
See
also: March
2008: e-group insurance
products are now available at jml Insurance
__________________________________
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