Will insurance pay out if you write off a car when drunk?
Discussion
As per title, will an insurance company pay out for a total loss of your vehicle after you've pranged it in a drunk driving incident?
My guess is no or, at least, they shouldn't.
I ask because one of my more gifted colleagues stuffed his car into 2 or 3 parked cars a few weeks back. He was 3 times over the limit and has a date to appear in front of the Sheriff in November.
In the meantime he says his insurer has paid him out on the value of his car, something I find hard to fathom - although I doubt he bothered to tell them he was fully jaked at the time of the crash..
Anyone know what the routine is in such cases?
My guess is no or, at least, they shouldn't.
I ask because one of my more gifted colleagues stuffed his car into 2 or 3 parked cars a few weeks back. He was 3 times over the limit and has a date to appear in front of the Sheriff in November.
In the meantime he says his insurer has paid him out on the value of his car, something I find hard to fathom - although I doubt he bothered to tell them he was fully jaked at the time of the crash..
Anyone know what the routine is in such cases?
nitrodave said:
I don't see why they wouldn't, it's what you pay them for.
I guess that's maybe fair enough, although I just assumed that there would be some sort of get out for the insurer due to the guy being pi55ed.I could be wrong, wouldn't be the first time, not even the first time today
Rockatansky said:
nitrodave said:
I don't see why they wouldn't, it's what you pay them for.
I guess that's maybe fair enough, although I just assumed that there would be some sort of get out for the insurer due to the guy being pi55ed.I could be wrong, wouldn't be the first time, not even the first time today
Interesting stuff, looks like I was a bit wide of the mark in my initial assumptions.
I've had a quick read of one of my own policy conditions booklets and I can't see anything specific in there.
The only bit that comes close is "Your insurance does not cover..any legal responsibility, loss or damage arising while any vehicle covered by this insurance is being..driven by or is in the charge of anyone who..does not keep to the conditions of their driving licence."
Not sure if that covers this scenario.
I've had a quick read of one of my own policy conditions booklets and I can't see anything specific in there.
The only bit that comes close is "Your insurance does not cover..any legal responsibility, loss or damage arising while any vehicle covered by this insurance is being..driven by or is in the charge of anyone who..does not keep to the conditions of their driving licence."
Not sure if that covers this scenario.
Pretty sure my last couple of insurers (Churchill, Elephant) have mentioned it to me. When buying over the phone, just before finalising the deal when they read the main T's & C's out.
I actually can't remember what either's policy on it was - I don't drink so it won't ever affect me making a claim.
I actually can't remember what either's policy on it was - I don't drink so it won't ever affect me making a claim.
There is no one answer to this.
If your policy doesn't explicitly exclude cover, then you are covered. If it does exclude it explicitly, then you're not covered. Some will even chase you for the incurred TP costs too, although this is rare.
Exclusion for drink or drugs is starting to become more frequent for own damage and that's no bad thing IMO.
I'm intrigued how they've managed to write his car off and pay him out so quickly though. Drink driving cases are normally heard within a few days and pay outs for write offs rarely happen that quickly.
If your policy doesn't explicitly exclude cover, then you are covered. If it does exclude it explicitly, then you're not covered. Some will even chase you for the incurred TP costs too, although this is rare.
Exclusion for drink or drugs is starting to become more frequent for own damage and that's no bad thing IMO.
I'm intrigued how they've managed to write his car off and pay him out so quickly though. Drink driving cases are normally heard within a few days and pay outs for write offs rarely happen that quickly.
Rockatansky said:
The only bit that comes close is "Your insurance does not cover..any legal responsibility, loss or damage arising while any vehicle covered by this insurance is being..driven by or is in the charge of anyone who..does not keep to the conditions of their driving licence."
Not sure if that covers this scenario.
No, that's something totally separate. Nothing to do with drink driving.Not sure if that covers this scenario.
LoonR1 said:
I'm intrigued how they've managed to write his car off and pay him out so quickly though. Drink driving cases are normally heard within a few days and pay outs for write offs rarely happen that quickly.
The incident happened about 3 weeks ago. He was arrested and held overnight, he was charged and has a court date (Scottish Sheriff Court) at the end of November.The settlement was made in the last week or so as far as I can tell, so around 2 weeks after the event.
I have no idea about timescales of any of these things, thankfully.
Rockatansky said:
The incident happened about 3 weeks ago. He was arrested and held overnight, he was charged and has a court date (Scottish Sheriff Court) at the end of November.
The settlement was made in the last week or so as far as I can tell, so around 2 weeks after the event.
I have no idea about timescales of any of these things, thankfully.
So that means he'll have had another 9 weeks of time to drink drive his heart and guts out before he gets banned. IME anyone getting charged with drink driving is up before the beak within a matter of days not months. The settlement was made in the last week or so as far as I can tell, so around 2 weeks after the event.
I have no idea about timescales of any of these things, thankfully.
LoonR1 said:
So that means he'll have had another 9 weeks of time to drink drive his heart and guts out before he gets banned. IME anyone getting charged with drink driving is up before the beak within a matter of days not months.
I don't have any experience, so I don't know if it's normal or not - and I don't know how the English & Scottish systems may vary.I agree with your sentiment though, not his first time either.....
Rockatansky said:
The incident happened about 3 weeks ago. He was arrested and held overnight, he was charged and has a court date (Scottish Sheriff Court) at the end of November.
The settlement was made in the last week or so as far as I can tell, so around 2 weeks after the event.
I have no idea about timescales of any of these things, thankfully.
Seems like a winner. No agro of having to sell it.The settlement was made in the last week or so as far as I can tell, so around 2 weeks after the event.
I have no idea about timescales of any of these things, thankfully.
Hope no-one was injured though.
A DD smashed into my neighbours parked car around 11:30pm, I eventually managed to stop her 9 miles later where she was arrested (after a 40 min wait for police).
She blew 103 at the station on 10/8 and only had court on 12/09
She was given
A community order for 12 months
80 hours unpaid work
Disqualified from driving for 23 months
£200 fine
£395 in costs.
Seems she too had around a month to continue bieng reckless
She blew 103 at the station on 10/8 and only had court on 12/09
She was given
A community order for 12 months
80 hours unpaid work
Disqualified from driving for 23 months
£200 fine
£395 in costs.
Seems she too had around a month to continue bieng reckless
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