Criminal's to get 'cheaper' car insurance.

[109er]

What's your take on this:

http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/criminals-better-...

[HertsBiker]

What it means, lots of people who don't currently bother with insurance because it is unobtainably expensive (due to some non motor related conviction ) will now be able to afford it. For example, defend your home against burglars a bit too efficiently, get an ABH or GBH conviction, then find you can't insure your car/bike/house for 5 years at less than double your old premiums. Same goes for other convictions - you get kicked in the nuts by insurance if you tell them, or risk driving without cover if they find out. A conviction can be the start of a vicious spiral into a life of crime.

[Oakey]

Makes sense, I always found it bizarre insurance companies would happily insure a convicted drink driver (at a premium) but if you had a non motoring conviction, say for assault, they wouldn't cover you.

[eldar]

HertsBiker said:

What it means, lots of people who don't currently bother with insurance because it is unobtainably expensive (due to some non motor related conviction ) will now be able to afford it. For example, defend your home against burglars a bit too efficiently, get an ABH or GBH conviction, then find you can't insure your car/bike/house for 5 years at less than double your old premiums. Same goes for other convictions - you get kicked in the nuts by insurance if you tell them, or risk driving without cover if they find out. A conviction can be the start of a vicious spiral into a life of crime.

Unless it is motoring related. In theory you don't need need to declare spent motoring convictions under the RHA, but the insurers will have access to the DVLA records, so they can see endorsements, anyway.

Seems confused.

[Oakey]

From what I gather you don't have to declare spent motoring convictions and they can't use it against you if you haven't told them? Happy to be corrected.

[davepoth]

eldar said:

Unless it is motoring related. In theory you don't need need to declare spent motoring convictions under the RHA, but the insurers will have access to the DVLA records, so they can see endorsements, anyway.

Seems confused.

Mightily confused. The situation wasn't entirely clear before this (there's a thread going on in SP&L where I've posted already, I won't bore you with the details) but it smacks of a bit of a fit-up with the insurance industry. It's now possible to have a conviction for manslaughter become spent before a conviction for eating a kit-kat at traffic lights.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4788910.stm