Another insurance whinge

Author
Discussion

General Fluff

Original Poster:

478 posts

136 months

Thursday 30th October 2014
quotequote all
I'm not normally one to bash the insurance industry but this doesn't seem right to me. I don't have any no claims discount due to driving on a company policy for a few years. No problem there but in 2011 I was hit in the rear on 2 separate occasions, completely fault free and only minor damage to my car.

Now as well as asking how many years NCD you have, the insurance companies are asking how many claim free years you have. Again, I don't really have an issue with this as I know it's all about statistics but as I can now only answer 3 years instead of 5+, the difference in the premium is over £200. This difference basically means that over the next few years I will pay for the damage to my car, as no doubt the people who hit me have been doing ever since. So the insurance companies aren't just raking it in when you don't claim, but they seem to be making a decent profit on accidents too.

Anyway, got that off my chest, have a nice day all.

speedking31

3,543 posts

135 months

Thursday 30th October 2014
quotequote all
You didn't claim, so those are still claim free years confused

Supercell

110 posts

131 months

Thursday 30th October 2014
quotequote all
I agree it's wrong. The insurance company are saying because you were in an accident (that wasn't your fault), you are likely to have another accident, so we'll load up your price for the next 5 years.

This is why if ever I have an accident, i'd much rather avoid the insurance company altogether, and settle it outside of it. However, that brings risks in itself because the other party may change stories, demand excessive costs etc.

Stuck between a rock and a hard place frown

JQ

5,691 posts

178 months

Thursday 30th October 2014
quotequote all
Why not go with an insurer that gives you NCD for use of a company car? Direct Line were happy to accept a letter from my fleet manager when I left the company scheme and give a pro-rata discount.

scarble

5,277 posts

156 months

Thursday 30th October 2014
quotequote all
I think it's quite likely true that if you've been run into once you're at a higher chance of being run into again. What do you think defensive driving is?

Moonhawk

10,730 posts

218 months

Thursday 30th October 2014
quotequote all
scarble said:
I think it's quite likely true that if you've been run into once you're at a higher chance of being run into again. What do you think defensive driving is?
I'd love to see the statistics that back that up.

I was run into by a car whist stationary in a queue of traffic. How exactly would 'defensive driving' have helped in my situation?

singlecoil

33,307 posts

245 months

Thursday 30th October 2014
quotequote all
Moonhawk said:
scarble said:
I think it's quite likely true that if you've been run into once you're at a higher chance of being run into again. What do you think defensive driving is?
I'd love to see the statistics that back that up.

I was run into by a car whist stationary in a queue of traffic. How exactly would defensive driving have helped in my situation?
I should imagine as far as scarble is concerned defensive driving would be being somewhere else at the time.

Moonhawk

10,730 posts

218 months

Thursday 30th October 2014
quotequote all
singlecoil said:
Moonhawk said:
scarble said:
I think it's quite likely true that if you've been run into once you're at a higher chance of being run into again. What do you think defensive driving is?
I'd love to see the statistics that back that up.

I was run into by a car whist stationary in a queue of traffic. How exactly would defensive driving have helped in my situation?
I should imagine as far as scarble is concerned defensive driving would be being somewhere else at the time.
Hmm - don't remember 'clairvoyance' being indicated as one of the skills of defensive driving. wink

scarble

5,277 posts

156 months

Thursday 30th October 2014
quotequote all
Moonhawk said:
I'd love to see the statistics that back that up.

I was run into by a car whist stationary in a queue of traffic. How exactly would 'defensive driving' have helped in my situation?
http://www.roaddriver.co.uk/safety-tips/what-is-defensive-driving/

HTH

eta: additional to that in the article, if I'm the last car in a queue I keep my foot on the brakes so my brake lights are on, logic being that people only look at the car ahead, so if they glance up from facebook and see me with no brake lights they'll assume everything is moving, if they see brake lights they'll maybe react.
Granted there are stil times when there's nothing you could have done, I didn't say that in all cases both parties carry some blame, I just suggested that in cases where the insurance might go 100% against the other party, there are times when you could still have avoided it, statistically, you get hit once you might get hit again and insurance companies deal in statistics, as they don't know you and your driving habits intimately.
Of course I'm sure one of these days someone will pile into the back of me and I'll be on here to whinge about my insurance increase tongue out

Edited by scarble on Thursday 30th October 13:47

Moonhawk

10,730 posts

218 months

Thursday 30th October 2014
quotequote all
scarble said:
I agree - a giant man made out of straw would have definitely helped cushion the impact.


scarble

5,277 posts

156 months

Thursday 30th October 2014
quotequote all
Did you read the article?

Do you look in your mirrors while you're sat at the back of a queue?

covboy

2,573 posts

173 months

Thursday 30th October 2014
quotequote all
scarble said:
Moonhawk said:
I'd love to see the statistics that back that up.

I was run into by a car whist stationary in a queue of traffic. How exactly would 'defensive driving' have helped in my situation?
http://www.roaddriver.co.uk/safety-tips/what-is-defensive-driving/

HTH
Great advice – leave a space to try and pull forward – and risk being shunted into the car ahead of you?
Leave a space and try and pull out of the way – and risk a head on ? – Or run someone down on the pavement?

Put the car in gear, release the handbrake and make the manoeuvre in how ling after you realise there is going to be an impact

Cloud cuckoo land I think




singlecoil

33,307 posts

245 months

Thursday 30th October 2014
quotequote all
scarble said:
Moonhawk said:
I'd love to see the statistics that back that up.

I was run into by a car whist stationary in a queue of traffic. How exactly would 'defensive driving' have helped in my situation?
http://www.roaddriver.co.uk/safety-tips/what-is-defensive-driving/

HTH
According to that, the idea is to leave 1 and 1/2 length gap to the car in front, and pull out when you see the car coming from the rear. Too bad if that takes you into a free-flowing line of opposing traffic!

Moonhawk

10,730 posts

218 months

Thursday 30th October 2014
quotequote all
scarble said:
Did you read the article?

Do you look in your mirrors while you're sat at the back of a queue?
Yes and Yes and.....?

......I still don't see what this has got to do with my scenario.

The driver wasn't speeding (to my knowledge) and didn't appear to be waving to some girls etc etc. He appeared to be driving normally - but simply failed to apply the brakes to stop (probably distracted). I estimate that the car was travelling at around 20mph at the time of the collision based on the damage caused (it was probably even less than that owing to the heavy traffic).

The braking distance from 20mph (32km/h) as given in the highway code is 6m.

This means that a car travelling at 20mph is covering a little under 9m per second and so the time taken to stop from 20mph is 0.67 seconds (ignoring thinking time since the driver should already be primed to brake)

Even if I had been watching intently in the rear view mirror - by the time I came to realise he was too close to stop (for the sake of argument lets say that was when he was 9 meters away from the rear of my car) - I would have had around 1 second to check for other hazards in my escape vector, put the car in gear, disengage the handbrake and take whatever avoiding action was necessary.

Do you consider that a reasonable expectation of 'defensive driving'?

Edited by Moonhawk on Thursday 30th October 14:21

timbo999

1,287 posts

254 months

Thursday 30th October 2014
quotequote all
ummmm - maybe defensive driving is not dropping out of gear and putting the hand brake on until you're certain no one is going to shunt you up the rear...? Just saying..

plasticpig

12,932 posts

224 months

Thursday 30th October 2014
quotequote all
scarble said:
Did you read the article?

Do you look in your mirrors while you're sat at the back of a queue?
I have a declared claim on my insurance where my car was hit whilst stationary. I was not in the car at the time as it was parked in the works car park. I am still penalized for this claim. Presumably because I am more likely to be hit whilst the car is parked and I am not in the car. How will defensive driving help me avoid this again?


marting

668 posts

173 months

Thursday 30th October 2014
quotequote all
Moonhawk said:
I'd love to see the statistics that back that up.
Do you think some guy at Direct Line just makes figures up, maybe the Meerkats are hard at work producing insurance premiums? Its called statistical modelling, insurance isn't an art.

Moonhawk

10,730 posts

218 months

Thursday 30th October 2014
quotequote all
timbo999 said:
ummmm - maybe defensive driving is not dropping out of gear and putting the hand brake on until you're certain no one is going to shunt you up the rear...? Just saying..
You are just being ridiculous now.

covboy

2,573 posts

173 months

Thursday 30th October 2014
quotequote all
marting said:
Moonhawk said:
I'd love to see the statistics that back that up.
Do you think some guy at Direct Line just makes figures up, maybe the Meerkats are hard at work producing insurance premiums? Its called statistical modelling, insurance isn't an art.
So you have these statistics then ?

Moonhawk

10,730 posts

218 months

Thursday 30th October 2014
quotequote all
marting said:
Do you think some guy at Direct Line just makes figures up, maybe the Meerkats are hard at work producing insurance premiums? Its called statistical modelling, insurance isn't an art.
I said I'd like to see the stats - I didn't say they made them up.