Why do we insure the DRIVER and
Discussion
NOT THE CAR?
Some other countries insure the actual CAR and not 'A DRIVER WITH ONE PARTICULAR CAR'.
Why don't we have that here in the UK?
Think about it, you insure the car and anyone can drive it, no additional drivers, no multi car, just insure the car and that's that!
Young drivers usually just have to pay a higher excess (if they don't have an accident, they don't pay extra, boy racers who crash their astras pay extra when they crash)
Belgium, Sweden, Italy and probably more but those are the ones I found after a quick google. These countries don't seem to have a problem with this system so:
Why don't we have this in the UK !?!?
Some other countries insure the actual CAR and not 'A DRIVER WITH ONE PARTICULAR CAR'.
Why don't we have that here in the UK?
Think about it, you insure the car and anyone can drive it, no additional drivers, no multi car, just insure the car and that's that!
Young drivers usually just have to pay a higher excess (if they don't have an accident, they don't pay extra, boy racers who crash their astras pay extra when they crash)
Belgium, Sweden, Italy and probably more but those are the ones I found after a quick google. These countries don't seem to have a problem with this system so:
Why don't we have this in the UK !?!?
The insurer wouldn't know what sort of risk is driving the car it leaves them open to huge payouts for very little initial premium, most foreign markets are losing money in car insurance but the insure the car not the person is so ingrained into their society it would be to difficult to change it to our way.
Shaw Tarse said:
OP are the cars in those countries insured 3rd party or fully comp?
Good point, I almost forgot some other countries third party laws arn't as strict as ours in that some have a capped third party limit i.e. £15million etc however in this country third party injury can be unlimited.tyranical said:
Simply because thats far too sensible for a country that likes to overcomplicate things and stretch its populations a
holes to the point where money is constantly pouring out of them uncontrollably.
Or something like that.
It's a logical system, what would it take for it to be implemented in the UK? Would it even be possible? The problem is that if a company popped up that did just that, all high risk drivers would flock to it and no low risk drivers would go there. There would need to be a total reform.holes to the point where money is constantly pouring out of them uncontrollably.Or something like that.
Deva Link said:
...because insurance for low risk drivers would go up massively.
I'm paying £240/yr for C270CDi Merc with £100 x/s for Class 1 business use.
Colleague in Germany with a 520d BMW pays over €1000 per year.
Yes, insurance might go up slightly for low risk drivers.. BUT:I'm paying £240/yr for C270CDi Merc with £100 x/s for Class 1 business use.
Colleague in Germany with a 520d BMW pays over €1000 per year.
1. You can allow friends/family to drive your car and you can drive your family's/friends cars.
2. It balances out, when you're younger and high risk, you end up paying less.
ZOLLAR said:
The insurer wouldn't know what sort of risk is driving the car it leaves them open to huge payouts for very little initial premium, most foreign markets are losing money in car insurance but the insure the car not the person is so ingrained into their society it would be to difficult to change it to our way.
As far as I'm aware, British companies are making a loss anyway?RoastedNut said:
ZOLLAR said:
The insurer wouldn't know what sort of risk is driving the car it leaves them open to huge payouts for very little initial premium, most foreign markets are losing money in car insurance but the insure the car not the person is so ingrained into their society it would be to difficult to change it to our way.
As far as I'm aware, British companies are making a loss anyway?Where as abroad they won't have that info they just insure the car and can't accurately track where the big risks are.
RoastedNut said:
Shaw Tarse said:
OP are the cars in those countries insured 3rd party or fully comp?
I'm pretty sure it's fully comp.But either way, the people I've talked to they don't seem to have a problem with it. It works for them, why can't it work for us? That's my point
ZOLLAR said:
It'll never change, insurance is about getting as much info to ascertain whats a high risk by changing to just insuring the car they'll lose a huge aspect of data collation and it would result in premiums increasing hugely to cover the "just in case" scenario.
But it works in those countries, why can't it work here? If enough people wanted it to change, couldn't it be done?RoastedNut said:
Shaw Tarse said:
OP are the cars in those countries insured 3rd party or fully comp?
I'm pretty sure it's fully comp.But either way, the people I've talked to they don't seem to have a problem with it. It works for them, why can't it work for us? That's my point
Don't get me wrong I would like to see 3rd party insurance made unavoidable, though I'm not sure how that could be implemented, maybe via RFL?
Then fully comp insurance optional.
ZOLLAR said:
RoastedNut said:
ZOLLAR said:
The insurer wouldn't know what sort of risk is driving the car it leaves them open to huge payouts for very little initial premium, most foreign markets are losing money in car insurance but the insure the car not the person is so ingrained into their society it would be to difficult to change it to our way.
As far as I'm aware, British companies are making a loss anyway?Where as abroad they won't have that info they just insure the car and can't accurately track where the big risks are.
RoastedNut said:
ZOLLAR said:
It'll never change, insurance is about getting as much info to ascertain whats a high risk by changing to just insuring the car they'll lose a huge aspect of data collation and it would result in premiums increasing hugely to cover the "just in case" scenario.
But it works in those countries, why can't it work here? If enough people wanted it to change, couldn't it be done?Whats the point in spending Billions to change to a different style of insurance which would still result in a loss?.
Shaw Tarse said:
Who are the people you have talked to?
Don't get me wrong I would like to see 3rd party insurance made unavoidable, though I'm not sure how that could be implemented, maybe via RFL?
Then fully comp insurance optional.
Just friends/family living in those countries, they say it works there are no problems (as far as they are aware) with it, it's nice to just be able to hop into any car and drive it, share a long journey, lend your car in emergencies, borrow a car in emergencies etc.Don't get me wrong I would like to see 3rd party insurance made unavoidable, though I'm not sure how that could be implemented, maybe via RFL?
Then fully comp insurance optional.
Could it be partly to do with the fact that there are more accidents in the UK? The roads are narrower, there are always cars parked on streets, you spend 1/3 of your time driving through towns letting other cars past, there are a LOT more cars on the road, junctions tend to be a lot sharper. In other European countries, there is hardly ever traffic apart from serious accidents or around very few cities in peak times, junctions are a lot more open (they tend to bend around, very rarely is the view blocked and there is a big seperation in the middle), hardly ever any need to drive through towns on long journeys, roads are much wider, better road maintanance. Due to the density population here it just seems to be easier to drive abroad, or?
RoastedNut said:
ust friends/family living in those countries, they say it works there are no problems (as far as they are aware) with it, it's nice to just be able to hop into any car and drive it, share a long journey, lend your car in emergencies, borrow a car in emergencies etc.
Could it be partly to do with the fact that there are more accidents in the UK? The roads are narrower, there are always cars parked on streets, you spend 1/3 of your time driving through towns letting other cars past, there are a LOT more cars on the road, junctions tend to be a lot sharper. In other European countries, there is hardly ever traffic apart from serious accidents or around very few cities in peak times, junctions are a lot more open (they tend to bend around, very rarely is the view blocked and there is a big seperation in the middle), hardly ever any need to drive through towns on long journeys, roads are much wider, better road maintanance. Due to the density population here it just seems to be easier to drive abroad, or?
Last time I looked, the UK had the safest roads in Europe. Could it be partly to do with the fact that there are more accidents in the UK? The roads are narrower, there are always cars parked on streets, you spend 1/3 of your time driving through towns letting other cars past, there are a LOT more cars on the road, junctions tend to be a lot sharper. In other European countries, there is hardly ever traffic apart from serious accidents or around very few cities in peak times, junctions are a lot more open (they tend to bend around, very rarely is the view blocked and there is a big seperation in the middle), hardly ever any need to drive through towns on long journeys, roads are much wider, better road maintanance. Due to the density population here it just seems to be easier to drive abroad, or?
I personally think you should be insured as a person. Then, people who want cheaper insurance can just get a cap on the power/displacement/insurance class of the car they're willing to drive. Would mean you could drive any car, and you'd have control over what you can and don't want to drive.
When I worked in New Zealand, they had similar rules. But then the "Yoofs" who would be driving Novas and Saxos here were driving Skylines and FTO's there. They were crashed left right and centre and accident rates were enormous.
Admittedly it had advantages- like the fact I could drive a mate's car without faffing around phoning the insurers. Also, it's unfair to claim that New Zealand's high accident rate was due to this alone- It has a poor road infrastructure compared some European countries (analogous to the Republic of Ireland) and cheap Japanese RWD imports were plentiful. But the insurance certainly encouraged inexperienced drivers to get behind the wheel of cheap, powerful RWD machines that they couldn't handle.
Admittedly it had advantages- like the fact I could drive a mate's car without faffing around phoning the insurers. Also, it's unfair to claim that New Zealand's high accident rate was due to this alone- It has a poor road infrastructure compared some European countries (analogous to the Republic of Ireland) and cheap Japanese RWD imports were plentiful. But the insurance certainly encouraged inexperienced drivers to get behind the wheel of cheap, powerful RWD machines that they couldn't handle.
RoastedNut said:
Yes, insurance might go up slightly for low risk drivers.. BUT:
1. You can allow friends/family to drive your car and you can drive your family's/friends cars.
2. It balances out, when you're younger and high risk, you end up paying less.
It's a bit weird, but most things in Euro-land are more expensive than in the UK - but people don't seem to mind. In this country, all anybody wants for anything is the lowest price. 1. You can allow friends/family to drive your car and you can drive your family's/friends cars.
2. It balances out, when you're younger and high risk, you end up paying less.
Maybe there isn't the issue with stupid young lads smashing up cars in the other countries as there is here?
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