I didn't mean they will not cover your third party obligations, if you only have TPFT then it isn't an issue, but I sport full comp so am mindful of the fact if I do something stupid I wouldn't be covered.

My insurance (Aviva) won't cover acts of God, but there is no specification of what that includes, so could apply to anything from a tree falling down, an earth quake or just someone ploughing into the side of me. I'm also not covered for terrorism. xD

A tree falling down is not an act of God. God cannot be a proven entity while a tree falling down can be a proven scientifical accident.

Quote from P5YcHoM4N :

I'm also not covered for terrorism. xD

Quinn wont cover damage done due to the sonic booms of aircraft...

Quote from P5YcHoM4N :

I didn't mean they will not cover your third party obligations, if you only have TPFT then it isn't an issue, but I sport full comp so am mindful of the fact if I do something stupid I wouldn't be covered.

And furthermore, while some extra things can be voided by fully comp, they wouldn't be able to void your insurance because you broke the speed limit...

Quote :

Here insurance coverage for any harm causes to your self or another person in an accident is included in the yearly car registration fee..

If you want insurance for property damage you go through a private insurance company.

That sounds far too sensible to be true! How is the yearly fee decided though?

Quote from P5YcHoM4N :

I'm also not covered for terrorism. xD

They are jealous of our escort vans.

The outrage at this story is pretty silly. He's 18, he's on minimum wage, he doesn't have a god-given right to affordable motoring. Lots of kids can't afford to run cars so they don't buy cars, perhaps this kid isn't as clever as some of his contemporaries.

Quote from thisnameistaken :

They are jealous of our escort vans.

The outrage at this story is pretty silly. He's 18, he's on minimum wage, he doesn't have a god-given right to affordable motoring. Lots of kids can't afford to run cars so they don't buy cars, perhaps this kid isn't as clever as some of his contemporaries.

Can't blame them for that.

True enough, I gave up driving while I was at uni because I couldn't afford the extra expense. Sold my car to the parents and used the money to buy a push bike. We seem to have fallen into a belief where driving is a right not a luxury. I can't afford to run a private jet, so I stick to buy a ticket like everyone else. I have no right to kick up a stink about it costing too much to run my own jet.

Quote from TiJay :

That sounds far too sensible to be true! How is the yearly fee decided though?

It's the same set fee for everyone, it's called TAC insurance.

It's the reason why car insurance isn't a legal requirement here.

Governments want everyone to ride the bus, so this is why insurance companies slam up the dollar on insurance. I don't understand it though, do they not want the buisness?

Quote from FPVaaron :

It's the same set fee for everyone, it's called TAC insurance.

It's the reason why car insurance isn't a legal requirement here.

Appliying for my visa now!!

Quote from BlueFlame :

Governments want everyone to ride the bus, so this is why insurance companies slam up the dollar on insurance. I don't understand it though, do they not want the buisness?

People are forced to pay it whether they want to or not. It's like Fuel.

But on the other hand, some insurance companies which quote stupid prices like that are simply to not have to say "unable to give quotes".

A friend who works for a broker says that they get paid a few p every time a quote is run (unless it says "unable to quote you blah blah") so they make sure it returns a price by doing something to do. can't say what.

Quote from BlueFlame :

Governments want everyone to ride the bus, so this is why insurance companies slam up the dollar on insurance. I don't understand it though, do they not want the buisness?

Utter tosh.

Insurance is not going up due to the government at all. The prices are rising because of many reasons...

1. Over the past two years, Insurance Claims have increased dramatically, especially during winter time. According to a study done between December 1st 2010 and January 31st 2011, 45% of Insured Motorists in the UK filed Insurance Claims for accidental damage that occurred to there cars during that time. 45% is a huge amount!

2. Young drivers. They are getting cockier by the second, always pushing there cars to the limit and going past the skill levels that there limited driving experience can offer them. Granted not all of them drive like idiots, but from what I have seen during my driving career, a lot of them do. Just look at Migz and Sam93!

3. Insurance Companies have a target just like any other business in the UK. They want to make a profit! Due to the increase in claims, and the fact that the UK (and infact, the whole world.) is going through a tough time economy wise, they have to hike up the prices in order to make a profit! They are hardly going to lower the prices now are they?

I hate insurance companies with a passion just as much as the next guy, but I can totally understand why the prices are rising and I hold no grudges against them for it.

:twocents:

What I mean is that the Goverment won't put a stop to it because they don't care if everyone rides the bus.

The Government doesn't care full stop.

Nevertheless, the higher the prices go, the happier the Government become. After all, just like any other business, Insurance Companies/Brokers still have to pay income tax etc. etc. which of course goes to who?...yes that's right...The GOVERNMENT!

Bastards.

On the subject of risk - I've noticed lately that the majority of people on the road have no problems with completely cutting corners and most will squeeze through a "amber turning red" light, even if it means right-turners getting stuck in the middle of the road.

Maybe its just my area but I can guarantee that either on my drive to or from work I will encounter at least one person on my side of the road (and not because they're going round a car) and most of the time they are the "low-risk" group - middle-aged men and women.

There's a junction on my journey to work where right-turners have to move forward or they block the road for people going straight on. A fair amount of traffic flows through the junction and so people don't usually get a chance to turn until the lights start changing again. This doesn't stop at least a couple of cars still going through when the lights go amber. Once again, the majority of these are the "low risk" group.

The statistics may say I'm more likely to get into an accident than them and, granted, I do drive faster than average (as in carrying speed, not outright speed) but I stick to my lane, I don't stick to someone's bumper if they're going slower than me, I don't pull out right in front of people, I don't go around the outside of queuing traffic, I don't race traffic lights, all these things I see regularly from the people statistically less likely to have an accident.

Ah well, its what you have to pay to drive. I'll just keep going and eventually I'll get prices easier on the wallet.

I'm in the same boat as you Dan. Despite the fact that I've been driving for only 3 years, it seems that driving manners have deteriorated somewhat!

The area that I've noticed a major difference in, is roundabouts. For a start, people seem to rarely use there indicators anymore and instead, expect you to guess where they are going by looking at there road positioning....But wait, it doesn't end there! These idiots then decide to go in the wrong lane, making it impossible to know where they are going. I rarely get annoyed behind the wheel of a car, but these guys really get the blood pumping.

"Ok, this guy must me going straight over as he has not indicated and he is in the left lane. I'm going right so I will just move over here...*guy in car does not indicate and swings over to the right missing my car by millimeters* Fuuuu! *beeeep*".

Quote from Nathan_French_14 :

2. Young drivers. They are getting cockier by the second, always pushing there cars to the limit and going past the skill levels that there limited driving experience can offer them. Granted not all of them drive like idiots, but from what I have seen during my driving career, a lot of them do. Just look at Migz and Sam93!

I wouldn't say young drivers claims are increasing versus other drivers...

There are a few other factors pushing costs up, though...

More claims - snowy winter in the UK + unprepared drivers = loads of little (and not so little) accidents.

Higher claim values - "no win no fee" claims of £10k for whiplash etc have to come from somewhere, and indirectly thats policyholders.

More claims (again) - several natural disasters across the world = a company who have to try to get some money back on their other policies.

Less return - insurers use the money you give them, and then invest it until you come to make a claim. As you've probably realised, the investments aren't returning quite the same return as before - so while they could afford to sell for sub-cost before, and make it back on the markets this isn't always viable anymore.

Quote from Nathan_French_14 :

...roundabouts...

These are the sole reason my car now has a ****ing loud horn / bright headlights. If I have to brake to stop myself running into you because you pulled out / decided you wanted to occupy my lane in a roundabout / couldn't stay in your lane, except to be at the receiving end.

Nathan why are you defending these insurance companies? As if they're doing us a favour? I mean, that's how it seems anyway
Insurance companies don't have 100m+ turnovers each year because they're saving us money!!1!

Quote from Leifde :

"amber turning red" light

Amber means prepare to stop, what if I'm not prepared to stop?

Quote from Jakg :

*snip*

I agree with you completely. I should of maybe re-typed that part of my post. I didn't mean that Young Drivers are making a proportion of the claims, just that they are the highest risk drivers out there and therefore are responsible for most "accident due to stupid driving" claims. But yes, false injury claims are also a big, if not the biggest reason for higher insurance costs.

A friend of mine rear ended a woman in an e-class at about 20mph the other month. They both got out and my friend asked if she was ok, to which she replied "Yes.". After inspecting the cars, they took each others details and both went on there merry way and left it to the insurers to sort out. After 1 month, the Woman has now decided to claim for whiplash, fractured arm and I kid you not "Posttraumatic stress disorder"!!! It's now going through the courts as she is attempting to sue him. Crazy!

Quote from S14 DRIFT :

Nathan why are you defending these insurance companies? As if they're doing us a favour? I mean, that's how it seems anyway
Insurance companies don't have 100m+ turnovers each year because they're saving us money!!1!

Not defending them Jamie. It's just that I can see why the prices are going up and understand it completely. Every time my renewal letter comes through the post, I cringe and feel the pain as much as you, but I don't mind it. I just have a quick moan and then get on with it!

Quote from Nathan_French_14 :

A friend of mine rear ended a woman in an e-class at about 20mph the other month. They both got out and my friend asked if she was ok, to which she replied "Yes.". After inspecting the cars, they took each others details and both went on there merry way and left it to the insurers to sort out. After 1 month, the Woman has now decided to claim for whiplash, fractured arm and I kid you not "Posttraumatic stress disorder"!!! It's now going through the courts as she is attempting to sue him. Crazy!

Insurance companies have been getting referral payments from personal injury firms, so they are encouraging claimants to trump up injuries to get money. The gov't has tried to put an end to it which they hope will stop these sorts of cases, as well as trying to stop no win no fee legal practises.

Quote from Nathan_French_14 :

Utter tosh.

Insurance is not going up due to the government at all. The prices are rising because of many reasons...

1. Over the past two years, Insurance Claims have increased dramatically, especially during winter time. According to a study done between December 1st 2010 and January 31st 2011, 45% of Insured Motorists in the UK filed Insurance Claims for accidental damage that occurred to there cars during that time. 45% is a huge amount!

2. Young drivers. They are getting cockier by the second, always pushing there cars to the limit and going past the skill levels that there limited driving experience can offer them. Granted not all of them drive like idiots, but from what I have seen during my driving career, a lot of them do. Just look at Migz and Sam93!

3. Insurance Companies have a target just like any other business in the UK. They want to make a profit! Due to the increase in claims, and the fact that the UK (and infact, the whole world.) is going through a tough time economy wise, they have to hike up the prices in order to make a profit! They are hardly going to lower the prices now are they?

I hate insurance companies with a passion just as much as the next guy, but I can totally understand why the prices are rising and I hold no grudges against them for it.

:twocents:

every time theirs a bad financial forecast; quotes go up though, when we are rich... no big savings... Ironic... or price fixing ?

Another roundabout rant: there are several around here with a lane's width of tarmac inside the innermost lane, but it's all marked out as hatchings. I reckon about half the cars that want to drive on the inside lane on those rounabaouts end up going round on the hatchings. Of course nobody indictes either, and if they do indicate coming on, they don't change the direction of indication when they're about to leave. So they're no longer leaving you to guess where they're going, there half-assedness is now making them deceitful! Rawr.

/rant

Quote from Jakg :

...

One more thing... credit hire.

Loads of companies are doing like-for-like car hire while yours is getting repaired, and claiming it from the 3rd party, while paying the original insurance a nice kickback... only it's extortionately expensive (£thousands for a BMW 3-series for a few weeks...)

Plus "insurance approved" bodyshops seem to have crazy prices - i've got a scuff in my bumper from a previous owners parking incident - I reckon a bit of filler & some paint would have it sorted out. But a second hand bumper is only ~£50 so i'd just do that.

A while bag my girlfriends mum managed to reverse into my car (), so I took it to a bodyshop to get a quote - while I was there I asked about the bumper, and they reckoned it'd be £350... I said "oh, so thats a new bumper and blending it in then?" and they told me that was just to REPAIR the existing bumper, a new one would be much much more!

Far too many people milk insurance companies... and we all foot the bill.

When I was working at a garage a customer had taken their car to one of those car doctor places and were told it'd cost them about 15k to get their car sorted (insurance wouldn't pay out because the guy who hit them didn't hang around, when I left town they were still fighting with insurance over that) when I was chatting with the guys at the insurance approved place he was telling me that they will never use anything but genuine parts and you can't use second hand parts because there are copy parts and you can't prove if they are genuine or not.

We were able to do the same work for 1k, cost so much because the rear end was quite stoved in, so we sent it to a body shop to be straightened out.