Winter Weather Creates Problems For Motorists

by Stewart Douglas

Story link: Winter Weather Creates Problems For Motorists

January is the worst month of the year for motor accidents as a result of cold weather and icy road conditions, with February following closely behind, according to research published today by Moneysupermarket.com.

Amongst the icy road conditions ranks the crime of ‘frosting’, whereby car thieves pounce on those turning their engines on to help de-ice windscreens and warm their cars, as a mounting threat to car owners and indeed insurance companies.

“When it’s freezing outside it can be tempting to leave the engine running to speed up the defrosting process while you nip back inside to get ready. But this can have terrible consequences if your car gets stolen,” said Joanne Mallon from car insurance at Sainsbury’s Bank.

Additionally, research has shown that insurance companies tend to be reluctant to pay out to ‘frosting’ vitcims on the grounds of a breached duty of care to have regard to the security of your car at all times, which could ultimately leave victims out of pocket.

Another serious threat highlighted by the research is the potential implications of poor visibility, and steamed windows which can lead to more frequent accidents and more serious damage in the event of collision.

With winter presenting a whole host of problems for the motorist, and a number of difficult motoring conditions presented by the colder weather, it proves to be one of the most dangerous times for road users, and one of the busiest times for contentious interaction between insurance companies and customers.

And with the weather set to become more extreme over the coming months, motorists across the country look set to be in for a bumpy ride as far as their insurance is concerned.