Tag: van insurance

Drivers fed up with road injuries, favour harsher penalties

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A new survey from a personal and commercial van insurance provider recently found that UK drivers have little patience with those who cause road injuries that lead to severe injury, with an overwhelming number coming out in favour of much harsher penalties in such cases.

Motorists in the UK have enough to put up with, whether it be the rising cost of petrol or the near-constant increases to their insurance premiums, leading many to be completely unsympathetic to anyone who causes road traffic accidents that lead to lengthy stays in hospital. Pain and suffering aside, Brits simply can’t afford time away from work in order to recover from such serious accidents – at least not in the current economy – and with car and van insurance companies rising rates after even a no-fault accident, a single incident could have ruinous ramifications.

The insurance expert found that, out of every 20 respondents, an overwhelming 19 said that they would like to see plans for instituting a new driving offence pushed through by the government. The new rule would make dangerous driving that causes serious injury a crime, which would carry a much stronger penalty than dangerous driving, the current offence in such situations.

Dangerous driving is a severe crime, and does carry a severe penalty, yet does not address any physical injuries caused as a result of dangerous driving. However, the new law would change this, resulting in much higher and more serious penalties for offenders.

Industry experts say that in order for the enforcement of this new offence to be effective, there may be a need for increased police presence on the nation’s roadways.

Break out from the crowd – don’t auto-renew

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It can be incredibly expensive to secure insurance for either your personal vehicle or the lorry or van you use for work, but you’re only making it worse if you follow the crowd and auto-renew your current insurer’s latest insurance quote, industry experts recently said.

However, up to 23 per cent of motorists in the UK do just that when it comes time to renew, and don’t even shop around for the best deals in an effort to save money on their personal or commercial van insurance, according to a recent survey. A large number of research respondents said that they felt it was too difficult and time-consuming to hunt down quotes from a car or van insurance provider, instead taking the path of least resistance and simply auto-renewing to save time.

Saving time is one thing, but saving money is another – especially in the current economy – and if you’re trading financial savings for ease of use, experts say you probably need to have your head examined. If you’re looking to save both time and money, industry insiders recommend you make use of a car insurance comparison website, as these sites provide the valuable service of acting as an aggregator of insurance quotes: put your personal details in once, and you’ll get several quotes back at once so you can compare them to one another as well as what you’re currently paying.

However, you need to keep aware of a few things if you do use a comparison site: no two policies are exactly alike. Even if they’re both offering ‘comprehensive’ cover, some insurers will provide different services, such as breakdown cover, as standard, so make sure you read all the fine print before signing on the dotted line.

Are insurers responsible for £225m in increased costs?

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Industry experts say that car and van insurance providers are responsible for running up £225 million in costs – that were passed along to motorists in the form of higher rates – due to ‘dysfunctional’ practices.

The entire market, personal and commercial van insurance providers alike, has been referred to the Competition Commission by the Office of Fair Trading after the OFT found that some companies were inflating the costs of repairs and replacement car parts following road traffic accidents. The watchdog agency remarked that the practice has is effectively holding insurers of at-fault drivers for ransom, depriving them any sort of choice in the way repair work is carried out.

Investigations found that the cost of providing a replacement vehicle was increased by around £560 for each instance. Repair costs were also found to b inflated by an additional £155 by insurers.

With drivers bearing the brunt of such actions through increased premium prices, consumer groups have praised the OFT’s announcement as an important first step in wrenching control away from a dysfunctional insurance system. The possibility now exists that a greater measure of transparency will be put in place in order to prevent the kind of complex and convoluted charges and fees that insurers have been using to drive up premium pricing, experts say.

Attempting to gain a competitive edge over their rivals by making it more expensive for competitors to do business is simply counter-productive, the OFT believes, adding that the market would work much more efficiently if insurance providers should simply concentrate their efforts on supplying high levels of service and quality to their customers.

Leading insurance comparison site announces new panel member

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One of the nation’s largest insurance comparison sites recently announced that a new insurer – a telematics specialist – has joined its panel.

One of the most in-demand types of vehicle insurance due to its ability to save drivers of both personal and commercial vehicles on their premium payments, telematics-based insurance records the behaviour of a driver whilst behind the wheel, awarding them with lowered premiums in exchange for responsible driving. Van insurance policyholders have been very interested in the technology, as it can also be used to provide evidence in cases concerning duty of care, as information such as how fast a commercial vehicle was traveling can be used to settle legal disputes.

The comparison site’s newest insurer, a firm that has specialised in telematics insurance primarily for personal motors, offers a range of options to its customers. A driver taking out insurance with the firm gains 6,000 miles for the year, with more miles available for purchase later, while safe drivers are rewarded with an additional 100 miles as a bonus each month and offers lowered premium prices for any safe driver that renews their policy after the end of the year.

The new firm joins three other telematics-based providers on the comparison site’s panel, a change that was made to provide peace of mind for customers, says the website’s spokesperson, Gareth Kloet. The comparison site was pleased to be able to offer a larger range of choice for those customers looking for telematics-based policies, Mr Kloet added.

Meet your duty of care through telematics

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While using the technology can bring excellent benefits such as reduced commercial van insurance premiums, there are other ways that switching your insurance policy to a telematics-based one – including meeting your duty of care responsibilities.

50 per cent of larger businesses operating in the UK that make use of large fleets of vans and other commercial vehicles are using the satnav-based technology in order to minimise their fleet risk while also meeting the duty of care requirements for their firm, according to a new YouGov survey. The research study questioned 100 chief financial officers, controllers, and financial directors for British firms that employed more than 1000 workers, discovering that fully half used telematics in their fleet vehicles in order to confer upon themselves extra levels of legal protection.

Firm directors are responsible to make sure all vehicles used by their employees whilst on the job are both insured properly and are roadworthy – and with health and safety legislation becoming more strict over the past few years, avoiding incidents that could lead to costly fines has become very important to many businesses, especially larger ones. Whether your vehicles are owned by the company or are owned by employees and used to conduct business, it’s simply legally and financially irresponsible to not have an auditable and comprehensive motoring policy set in place, motoring experts say.

One such driving expert, Keith Allen, commented on the results of the YouGov survey, remarking that it was ‘quite encouraging’ to see how many large-scale firms have taken steps to make their commercial fleets safer by adopting telematics-based insurance policies.

Could limiting top speed for vans lead to cheaper insurance?

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Limiting the top speed for vans and other commercial vehicles could potentially lead to not only safer roads but cheaper commercial van insurance as well, one insurer has recently said.

A major commercial vehicle insurance provider approved of a new report from the Freight Transport Association that found limiting a van’s top speed to just 70mph could be highly beneficial. Joe de Vries, the insurer’s representative, remarked that a top speed of 70mph would led to a reduction in the number of road traffic accidents because vans will be much safer in this instance – with the end result that insurance premiums for van owners and operators could drop by a significant amount.

Mr de Vries also pointed out that placing speed limitations on commercial vehicles by their manufacturers could also lead to improvements in fuel economy. Fuel consumption would be lowered by reducing strain on engines that can no longer exceed 70mph, and with the rising cost of fuel in the UK, this could also spell significant savings.

Moreover, maintenance and repair bills will likely be less expensive as well due to a limited top speed. Since engine strain will be less, many van owners will find their vehicles lasting longer between developing faults that need to be remedied. However, with the recent discussions and speculation in regards to the possibility of the motorway speed limit being raised to 80mph, this nascent measure to limit the top speed on the nation’s commercial vehicles may not be feasible after all.

Opponents to the idea of raising the speed limit say that traveling at high rates of speed are not only more dangerous, but will result in reduced fuel efficiency due to increased wind resistance.

Engine re-mapping may save on motoring costs, says expert

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One expert mobile auto electrician from Gloucester has recently recommended undertaking engine re-mapping for your commercial vehicle, as it can lead to less motoring costs in the long run.

Mottec Automotive’s Charlie Morgan says that a simple re-programming of a modern vehicle’s on-board engine control unit, once the purview of boy racers looking to squeeze a few more horsepower from their cars, has grown to be used by savvy motorists looking for better fuel efficiency. Commercial van drivers, hauliers, bus and coach firms, taxi firms, and fleet managers can all benefit from such an engine re-maping, Mr Morgan said, as it can deliver’ guaranteed substantial savings’ on the cost of diesel or petrol – leaving more cash for things such as van insurance.

It only takes one or two hours to complete the process, Mr Morgan claims, adding that doing so has no deleterious effects upon the warranty of a given vehicle. Moreover, as long as you do it in order to improve your vehicle’s fuel economy, the majority of insurance providers do not consider it a ‘modification’ that would result in increased insurance premiums.

It typically costs £225 and upwards to re-map an engine in order to provide fuel savings  of around 10 to 12 per cent, an investment that pays off after a short 10,000 miles, Morgan adds. The savings add up quickly with the amount of time you or your fleet of vehicles spend out on the road, especially with fuel costs rising the way they have; reducing CO2 emissions and making a tank of fuel last even longer can work out to significant savings once it’s all said and done.

45% of UK drivers name white van men as most aggravating

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According to a new survey, almost half of all drivers in the UK say that white van men are the absolute worst when it comes to aggravating drivers.

The poll, which surveyed 2,300 drivers, saw 45 per cent of respondents indicating that they were most annoyed by white van men. The second runner-up for most aggravating went to Mums making the school run in their 4x4s, proving that perhaps stereotypes have more than a touch of the truth in them.

However, most white van men refute the stereotype of the angry, inconsiderate driver, according to an independent study conducted by Tesco Bank’s van insurance division. 7 out of every ten van drivers reported never got into altercations such as shouting matches with other road users, while nearly three out of every four indicated that the appearance of their van was important to them, taking pains to keep the vehicles free of scratches and dents.

Tesco Bank’s managing insurance director, Julie Hopes, implied that the kinder, gentler white van drivers may be due to an increased number of women getting behind the wheel in order run their own business. The stereotype should be put to bed, Ms Hopes added, stating that it truly has been dispelled by the commercial van insurance provider’s research.

Some of the other cars found to be the most annoying were the more expensive ones. The survey found that 27 per cent of respondents held rancor in their hearts towards BMWs, while Range Rovers – and their owners – garnered an impressive 19 per cent of the hate as well.

White Van Man stereotype a thing of the past?

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The red-faced, shouting White Van Man stereotype may be a thing of the past, according to new research from one insurer poised to launch their own van insurance line.

Supermarket giant Tesco’s insurance division, which recently announced its expansion into commercial van insurance, surveyed van drivers themselves, discovering that 70 per cent of their survey respondents completely reject the stereotype of the angry, rude van driver.  Nearly three out of every four of those surveyed also said that they keep their van in good nick, making sure there’s no scratches or dents if they can help it.

It’s no longer just men who get behind the wheel of white vans, either.  Research undertaken by Tesco found that the number of female drivers has risen, with to 15 per cent of them working as florists and nearly 10 per cent as tradespeople.

Tesco Bank’s managing insurance director, Julie Hopes, commented that it may be time to park the old stereotype.  In fact, only 30 per cent of the commercial vans on the road are still white, with drivers adopting a whole rainbow of colours to differentiate themselves from all the others on the road, the research found.

Consumer demand for commercial van insurance has led Tesco to extend its insurance portfolio into the commercial vehicle market, industry experts say.  The insurance offering is designed to provide comprehensive cover for drivers, who now spend n average of seven and a half hours every workday behind the wheel, and the new cover includes many features as standard, such as foreign use cover, lock and key cover, legal cover, a courtesy van, mobile repairs, and a courtesy van.

Comparison site gives away free breakdown cover

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One major car insurance comparison website has recently announced it will throw in £59.99 worth of breakdown cover for free if you purchase a van insurance policy through the aggregator.

Breakdown cover is an important facet of motoring, as breaking down on the side of the road could lead to hundreds of pounds in out of pocket expenses if you end up having to be rescued.  With the economy in the sorry state that it is, many of us have had to do with much less, but industry experts say that eschewing breakdown cover in an attempt to make it less expensive to insure your car or van could end up being a false economy if it ever comes down to it.

However, with the new promotion, which runs from June 6 to July 31, means that you can reap all the benefits of having breakdown cover without having to worry about finding an additional £60 in your budget to pay for it.  When you add this to the amount you’re likely to save by using an insurance comparison website, you’re quite likely to significantly come out ahead of the game.

Comparison sites work hard to get you the best van insurance quotes so you don’t have to.  Gone are the days when you’ve had to ring up each insurer or broker, tell them your personal details, and then write down the quote they give you in order to compare it to their rivals; now you just put your details in once, right over the internet, and the comparison site pulls quotes from their panel of insurers, presenting them in a format where you can compare and contrast each quote to the others quickly and easily.

Step 1

Complete your quick and easy quote

Step 2

Reveal your van insurance policies

Step 3

Pick your favourite and get instant cover