Car Insurance Costs Increase by New Record

Andy Aspden — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 14:19:28 +0000

The price of car insurance saw a record rise over the last year, according the the AA, with the cost taking the biggest leap since the insurers started following market trends. Young drivers are taking the brunt of the increases and are being cited as one of the reasons that there has been such a dramatic leap in premiums.

Male drivers aged between 17-22 are facing the highest price increase with premiums going up a staggering 47% in the last year, which is almost double the amount that women in the same age group have to pay. The image of the “boy racer” springs to mind, but that can only really be applied to a few of the drivers out on the roads and is not just restricted to those under the age of 22. However, drivers in that age group are more likely to be involved in accidents resulting in injuries which tend to face extremely large compensation claims in our increasingly litigious society.

With some accidents leading to potential claims in excess of £10 million, depending on injuries, insurers are keen to guard against potential losses when claims hit the courts. Simon Douglas, director of insurance for the AA, said “The number of claims is increasing and the number of passengers involved is increasing,” when he was highlighting the role of no-win, no-fee lawyers in the price shift.

Young drivers are facing insurance costs that are sometimes in excess of 2 times the value of the car that they own on a regular basis with some comparison sites showing quotes of £6,000 or more for a 17 year old that has only just passed their test.

At Sixt we understand that not all young drivers should be tarred with the same brush and allow rentals of some of our fleet to drivers over the age of 19. We’d also like to give some advice to new drivers looking for insurance and steps they can take to lower the cost.

When looking at online quotes you should test the different options available to you, simple changes to your policy at the quote stage can lead to a considerable saving on your insurance. Of course, there’s a lot to be said about simply haggling for the price:

1. Try altering the excess charge, a higher excess means you pay more in the event of an accident but reduces the insurance cost because the larger proportion of any claim is paid in excess.

2. Find the cheapest quote you can and then phone other insurers to see if they can match or better it.

3. Find an insurer that specialises in insurance for young drivers.

4. When you first think about buying your car, look at the insurance group, before the engine size.

5. If you can, consider getting a diesel car instead of a petrol. Not only are the mpg figures more favourable for a diesel, but they are usually cheaper to insure.

Accident Avenue Wraps Up for Safety Reasons

Andy Aspden — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 11:37:43 +0000

Accident Avenue: Confused.com raise awareness of an increase in recent insurance claims

Motor insurance aggregator Confused.com has reacted to the recent bad weather and increase in damage claims by identifying, through their extensive database, Britain’s most accident prone street and making it safe. It took a team of 8 men close to 12 hours to cover Somerville Road in Worcester completely in bubble wrap. Gardens, lampposts, postboxes, garden gnomes and even a skip received the full treatment, giving the re-named “Accident Avenue” an eerie, yet safe, atmosphere.

Due to the recent icy conditions on Britain’s roads insurers have seen claims increase by nearly 41% compared to a similar non-snowy period. Will Thomas, Confused.com’s Head of Motor Insurance, commented on the awareness campaign “We thought we’d highlight the need to take care out there and make sure you’re fully covered on the roads with the best motor policy in our own, fun way. It would have been great fun to do this for every street in the UK, but sadly we ran out of bubble wrap!”. For more information on Accident Avenue please visit the confused.com site on the following link http://www.confused.com/AccidentAvenue.

Bubble wrap you can take everywhere that doesn't run out.

Bubble wrap itself celebrated it’s 50^th year of protecting our goods from outside harm and on monday Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day enjoyed it’s 9^th anniversary as well. Even though bubble wrap is used mainly as a packing material, large numbers of the population see it as a great way to pass time and ease stress by popping the bubbles, this has even led to companies releasing keychain bubble wrap games or even websites dedicated to the stress-relieving pastime.

A large number of people waiting for repairs to their vehicles turn to car hire companies to provide a replacement vehicle to help out during this period, but some insurers have preferred companies to use, so we advise that people check first with their insurers before booking a rental vehicle.

Sixt rent a car blog » car insurance

Car Insurance Costs Increase by New Record

Accident Avenue Wraps Up for Safety Reasons