Following a major operation last week targeting London’s uninsured drivers, the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) says it has taken the highest number of calls to its dedicated police helpline since the line was set up in 2007. The calls contributed to 558 vehicle seizures and 76 arrests across the capital in one day. Metropolitan Police [...]
The Co-operative Insurance has commissioned new research which reveals that there’s a clear gender divide when it comes to learning to drive. Men typically take 16 hours of tuition before taking the test, with women opting for 22 hours. Women also spend more on learning how to drive, forking out £528 compared with £384 for [...]
Aviva has launched MultiCar, a motor policy aimed at families with a collection of drivers and vehicles. Husbands, wives, common-law partners and any relative living under the same roof can insure up to five cars or vans per household. Students who live away from home during term time qualify too, and Aviva MultiCar will also [...]
The cost of comprehensive motor insurance cover rose by an average 12.3% in the 12 months to the end of September, according to the latest Confused.com/Towers Watson Car Insurance Price Index. However, the rate of increase compares with 38% over the whole of 2010, and the average cost of a comprehensive policy now stands at [...]
Ageas (Insurance UK) has announced that it has launched a new insurance partnership with Vauxhall whereby the firm will provide fully branded motor insurance products to Vauxhall’s British customers. The deal, which is set for a five year term, will see Ageas assume responsibility for managing Vauxhall’s customer sales, service administration and claims service and [...]
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is proposing amendments to commitments offered by a number of motor insurers, following its investigations aimed at addressing competition concerns and subsequent agreements with insurers, set out in January. By subscribing to an analysis tool, seven insurance companies are able to access their own pricing information provided to brokers, [...]
Department for Transport proposals for increasing the speed limit on motorways to 80mph in recognition of improved vehicle technology should also take account of new figures on in-car distractions, as set out in the RAC’s 2011 Report on Motoring. According to the RAC, the problem of smartphone use amongst drivers aged 18 to 24 years [...]
Tiger.co.uk, the car insurance comparison website, has reported that younger drivers, who have seen insurance premiums rise significantly in recent years, will be glad to hear that the cost of insurance appears to be stabilising. Tiger Watch research, which looks at a broad range and large number of car insurance quotes, revealed that prices had [...]
Northern Ireland’s Environment Minister, Alex Attwood, has announced plans for a major shake up of drink driving laws in the province. The proposals include lower drink-drive limits and new graduated fixed penalties, with further details as follows: Lower blood alcohol limits of 50mg/100ml for most drivers and 20mg/100ml for young or inexperienced drivers and for [...]
Pedestrians are becoming more of a hazard for road users as they talk into mobile devices, email and text while stepping into busy traffic. According to research from LV= car insurance, one in 10 pedestrians are likely to be crossing the road while using a mobile gadget, although one-third of those doing so will agree [...]
RSA stands accused of boosting profits by using a subsidiary to inflate its motor insurance repair costs. According to BBC Radio 4′s Money Box programme, a recent court case resulted in Circuit Judge, Judge John Platt, finding that RSA Accident Repairs had increased labour costs without carrying out any work itself, and made other charges [...]
The bad behaviour of some young drivers can be attributed, at least in part, to the driving style of their parents, research from AXA suggests. Drivers aged 18-30 are thrice more likely to have points on their licence or a ban if their parents have points or a ban. Younger drivers who have seen their [...]
New research from LV= car insurance has revealed that thousands of drivers are still on the roads legally, despite having garnered 12 or more penalty points. As of 9 July 2011 10,000 drivers were on the roads despite having received enough penalty points to warrant a ban, according to a Freedom of Information request the [...]
The number of uninsured drivers on UK roads has fallen by 25% in the past five years, according to the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB). However, illegal drivers in the West Midlands and West Yorkshire are holding back progress, with 17 of the 20 worst postcodes for uninsured drivers located in the regions. Bordesley in Birmingham [...]
Motorist look set to be more distracted than every by in-car entertainments with the launch of MirrorLink. Developed by the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC), which is devoted to innovating phone-centric car connectivity, MirrorLink connects mobile devices to in-vehicle infotainment systems, allowing “unprecedented functionality through two-way links between smartphones and in-vehicle displays”. The Consortium, which represents [...]
AXA UK has welcomed the Government’s decision to ban personal injury referral fees but warned that the move may not achieve all that is hope for. The fees, which have been blamed for inflating motor insurance premiums, are the “tip of the iceberg” so far as AXA is concerned, and the insurer is demanding a [...]
Referral fees in personal injury claims are to be banned by the Government, the BBC has reported. The fees have been blamed for encouraging a compensation culture and for sharp rises in motor insurance premiums alongside an explosion of law firms offering no-win-no-fee services and pestering potential claimants with unsolicited approaches. According to the Association [...]
Otto Thoresen, Director General of the ABI, has responded to the OFT’s (Office of Fair Trading) call for evidence into the cost of motor insurance. Thoresen stated that a new opportunity was presented for the industry to explain the cost pressures motor insurers are faced with, how these can be reduced and how to ensure [...]
Acting on reports that comprehensive car insurance premiums have risen by as much as 40% in a year, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has issued a call for evidence. The watchdog wants to establish the background to accounts of soaring private motor premiums, so it can consider whether further work is needed to improve [...]
Motorists in Northern Ireland are hopeful of a better deal, following the launch of a campaign by the region’s Consumer Council to reduce the cost of car insurance. Premiums across the Province have shot up by almost 73% in the last two years, with younger drivers worst hit and typically paying more than double the [...]
