Car Theft Insurance Question
Discussion
A friend of mine left the spare keys to her husbands pickup in the centre consol of her car. 1 in million she left the car unlocked, and some oicks by chance tried her door handle that night - took the keys (and £50) and then stole the pickup. Will this have implications for an insurance claim?
Should be ok. Many policies exclude theft if the keys are left in or on the vehicle. In this case they were left in another vehicle. No different to having your keys indoors, but leaving the front door unlocked. I would expect a claim to be paid in those circumstances.
But the actual wording of the pick up's insurance policy is what counts, not my guesswork.
But the actual wording of the pick up's insurance policy is what counts, not my guesswork.
TwigtheWonderkid said:
No different to having your keys indoors, but leaving the front door unlocked. I would expect a claim to be paid in those circumstances.
But the actual wording of the pick up's insurance policy is what counts, not my guesswork.
Really? I'd always assumed if you left your front door unlocked (while the house is unoccupied) most insurance companies would use that as excuse enough to avoid paying out?But the actual wording of the pick up's insurance policy is what counts, not my guesswork.
TheBALDpuma said:
A friend of mine left the spare keys to her husbands pickup in the centre consol of her car. 1 in million she left the car unlocked, and some oicks by chance tried her door handle that night - took the keys (and £50) and then stole the pickup. Will this have implications for an insurance claim?
So, the keys were left inside the vehicle, which was then left unlocked?Zetec-S said:
TwigtheWonderkid said:
No different to having your keys indoors, but leaving the front door unlocked. I would expect a claim to be paid in those circumstances.
But the actual wording of the pick up's insurance policy is what counts, not my guesswork.
Really? I'd always assumed if you left your front door unlocked (while the house is unoccupied) most insurance companies would use that as excuse enough to avoid paying out?But the actual wording of the pick up's insurance policy is what counts, not my guesswork.
TwigtheWonderkid said:
You're missing the point. A house contents claim may be turned down for leaving the front door unlocked. I was talking about a motor theft claim, with keys stolen from inside a house, even if the front door was unlocked. Your motor policy doesn't insist your house is locked!!
No, it doesn't specify your house must be locked. But (and I've just checked the wording on mine) it does state you must protect your vehicle from loss or damage. And to remove the keys or secure any device that allows access to your vehicle if it is left unoccupied.Admittedly very woolly wording, but possibly enough for them to wiggle out of paying if I were to leave my keys in a (different) unlocked vehicle or unlocked home?
IANAL, but I believe that you don't need to have specific wording in a policy.
Policy holders are expected to take reasonable care - leaving a key in an unlocked car could be considered contributory negligence?
My insurance policy doesn't say I must not drive my car with a paper bag on my head, but I suspect they would reject any claim resulting from it.
Policy holders are expected to take reasonable care - leaving a key in an unlocked car could be considered contributory negligence?
My insurance policy doesn't say I must not drive my car with a paper bag on my head, but I suspect they would reject any claim resulting from it.
OverSteery said:
IANAL, but I believe that you don't need to have specific wording in a policy.
Policy holders are expected to take reasonable care - leaving a key in an unlocked car could be considered contributory negligence?
My insurance policy doesn't say I must not drive my car with a paper bag on my head, but I suspect they would reject any claim resulting from it.
It's a fair point, but the usual wording is to exclude theft if the keys are left in or on the vehicle. If they actually specify where you cannot leave the keys, then under TCF regulations, the customer can leave the keys anywhere else. Policy holders are expected to take reasonable care - leaving a key in an unlocked car could be considered contributory negligence?
My insurance policy doesn't say I must not drive my car with a paper bag on my head, but I suspect they would reject any claim resulting from it.
If your policy actually did say you cannot drive the car with a paper bag over your head, they would have to cover you driving with a plastic bag over your head. Hence they don't make a specific exclusion of paper bags, rather say "take reasonable steps to avoid a claim"
But with keys, they actually do specifically tell you what's not covered, hence other stuff is covered.
TwigtheWonderkid said:
OverSteery said:
IANAL, but I believe that you don't need to have specific wording in a policy.
Policy holders are expected to take reasonable care - leaving a key in an unlocked car could be considered contributory negligence?
My insurance policy doesn't say I must not drive my car with a paper bag on my head, but I suspect they would reject any claim resulting from it.
It's a fair point, but the usual wording is to exclude theft if the keys are left in or on the vehicle. If they actually specify where you cannot leave the keys, then under TCF regulations, the customer can leave the keys anywhere else. Policy holders are expected to take reasonable care - leaving a key in an unlocked car could be considered contributory negligence?
My insurance policy doesn't say I must not drive my car with a paper bag on my head, but I suspect they would reject any claim resulting from it.
If your policy actually did say you cannot drive the car with a paper bag over your head, they would have to cover you driving with a plastic bag over your head. Hence they don't make a specific exclusion of paper bags, rather say "take reasonable steps to avoid a claim"
But with keys, they actually do specifically tell you what's not covered, hence other stuff is covered.
interesting. I'd not thought of it like that.. 
TheBALDpuma said:
1 in million she left the car unlocked, and some oicks by chance tried her door handle that night - took the keys (and £50) and then stole the pickup.
Can she be certain she left it unlocked? If it doesn't have deadlocks, or the deadlocks weren't engaged, then it's pretty easy to open most cars.Forums | Speed, Plod & the Law | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff