Apparently a large percentage of us are not insured??

[dxg]

To deal with this, the place I work for *insists* we use hire cars for anything happening other than in the main office and accessed by car.

Which can be a problem as we have tiny budgets and the hire company we are forced to use is not cheap. Funny that, given that they know they're the sole provider.

[Super Sonic]

The insurers ask what you will be using the vehicle for. One of the options is social domestic pleasure Inc commuting. If you are driving to work you pick this option.
It does not cover you to drive your work van around.

[119]

What is this 'large percentage', and from what source?

[carlo996]

Typical scummy insurance company tactics. As ever check every bit of small print when dealing with these absolute bottom feeders.

[119]

Flumpo said:

Not quite the same, but I remember this causing a stir a few years ago. the police seized a woman's car as she didn’t have commuting on her insurance:

https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/motorist-car-sei...

Pretty sure on the comparison sites it defaults to everything and then you have to click lesser levels. I can see some people getting it wrong by accident and a lot of people getting it wrong on purpose.

Reading between the lines, it doesn't appear to be just for insurance errors.

[Rufus Stone]

carlo996 said:

Typical scummy insurance company tactics. As ever check every bit of small print when dealing with these absolute bottom feeders.

Not really. It's to do with assessing the insured risk.

[Sebring440]

VanDriver99 said:

I now understand we have to add Commute to our cover or we could be arrested or worse have an accident and picking up the tab for third party and our own misfortune.

Remember the OP is the fella who "overlooked" informing the insurance company that he was no longer a wood machinist and now delivers motor parts:

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[oyster]

carlo996 said:

Typical scummy insurance company tactics. As ever check every bit of small print when dealing with these absolute bottom feeders.

Why don't you self insure?

[Spitfire2]

carlo996 said:

Typical scummy insurance company tactics. As ever check every bit of small print when dealing with these absolute bottom feeders.

This stuff is obvious in the big print. You don't need to read the small print for such obvious facts.

Amazed at the naivety on this thread

[BertBert]

VanDriver99 said:

On their commute to work.


I am 65 and always thought Comprehensive was the 5 star Cover for Insurance.Couldn't be beaten.


I now understand we have to add Commute to our cover or we could be arrested or worse have an accident and picking up the tab for third party and our own misfortune.

You dont hear many reports of people in ruin because of this ..is there some sort of safety net ??

Asking for a friend

You're 65 years old and been driving for what 45 odd years? And this is news to you? Also curious as to your source for thinking this is an arrestable offence?

[Aretnap]

carlo996 said:

Typical scummy insurance company tactics. As ever check every bit of small print when dealing with these absolute bottom feeders.

"Small print"

[Aretnap]

BertBert said:

Also curious as to your source for thinking this is an arrestable offence?

All offences are arrestable these days, though it would be rare for there to be an actual need to arrest someone who was driving to work without the appropriate insurance.

[Jasey_]

It wasn't a thing when I started driving all this commuting added to policy bks.

But it has been a thing for at least 30 odd years.

Cannot remember it ever being "hidden" in the small print.

[98elise]

Aretnap said:

carlo996 said:

Typical scummy insurance company tactics. As ever check every bit of small print when dealing with these absolute bottom feeders.

"Small print"

The big bold highlighted "small print"!

[sortedcossie]

Friend of ours used to be a milkman, Friday PM was spent doing his round getting paid - He used his car not his van sometimes depending on which order they were parked on his drive. Had an accident in the car on a collection run where police attended, on his statement it was recorded what he was doing as in "using the car for business purposes". He wasn't insured, so it became an expensive experience.

He always used the van afterwards.

[wibble cb]

Surely the answer is, I’m just popping to tescos…

[119]

OP has 'bailed' it seems.

[Hondashark]

Every single insured person made a conscious decision when choosing between SDP and SDP+commuting. If they are commuting in their car and chose just SDP then they are either deliberately trying to save money by risking it or are extremely stupid.
You can't get insurance without choosing the type of cover so pretending you didn't know is complete bks.

[Aretnap]

VanDriver99 said:

I understand tho that Insurers are duty bound to cover the Third Party aspect of the Insurance....BUT ....we all know how clever they are at wriggling out of paying ???

Your understanding is incorrect - or at least very incomplete.

Where the use of the vehicle is not covered by the policy, the insurer doesn't have any duty to provide you with third party cover. Instead the injured party can make a MIB claim, as they can if they are hit by any other uninsured driver. Under Article 75 of the MIB agreement the insurer with the closest connection to the car will deal with, and pay, the claim on behalf of the MIB, rather than paying itself under central funds. However this comes with a couple of big caveats

(1) Under MIB rules the injured party can only claim for things that aren't covered by any other insurance policy - like personal injury. He'll still have to make a claim on his own policy for the damage you've done to his car, assuming he has comprehensive cover, and
(2) the fact that someone has covered the thrd party's losses doesn't get you out of paying for them yourself. Your insurer can demand that you pay them back whatever they've paid out to the third party. The system is in place to protect other people from the consequences of your uninsured driving - not to protect you from its consequences.

This has nothing to do with insurers "wriggling out of paying" or any such rubbish - it's exactly how the system is supposed to work.

[Dingu]

Anyone who genuinely struggles with this concept should stick to walking or a bus.