Insurance Bother?
Discussion
I was out with a mate earlier today in his BMW 330, we were stationary when a bit of an oik decided to drive into the back of us. He was driving an R-reg Fiat Punto.
My mate's car has what initially seemed to be superficial damage with a cracked nearside light cluster, dented/cracked bumper and a dented boot lid which does still open and close okay. Closer inspection reveals that the rear of the car is bent inwards slightly from the impact of the punto (probably only 5mm or so).
The Punto fared much less well, with a dented bonnet, obliterated front bumper and a slightly bent chassis. Probably a write-off.
At the scene the punto driver admitted liability, and said that he wanted to claim through his insurance rather than sorting it out between them. He gave his details (from his documents in the car) and asked only for my pals first name and phone number.
Now for the juicy stuff.....
My buddy is (stupidly) uninsured. As the other guy has admitted liability, can my bud just deal with the first party's insurance direct? Does he need to admit his un-insured status, and if so, will he get his beemer fixed under the first party's insurance (he is still liable, after all).
Also, for the BiB, what consequences will he have to face if it all comes out?
He's already had a stern talking to by me, but I'd like to give him some constructive adice too.
Any help greatly appreciated!
>>> Edited by justthetip on Tuesday 7th December 19:54
My mate's car has what initially seemed to be superficial damage with a cracked nearside light cluster, dented/cracked bumper and a dented boot lid which does still open and close okay. Closer inspection reveals that the rear of the car is bent inwards slightly from the impact of the punto (probably only 5mm or so).
The Punto fared much less well, with a dented bonnet, obliterated front bumper and a slightly bent chassis. Probably a write-off.
At the scene the punto driver admitted liability, and said that he wanted to claim through his insurance rather than sorting it out between them. He gave his details (from his documents in the car) and asked only for my pals first name and phone number.
Now for the juicy stuff.....
My buddy is (stupidly) uninsured. As the other guy has admitted liability, can my bud just deal with the first party's insurance direct? Does he need to admit his un-insured status, and if so, will he get his beemer fixed under the first party's insurance (he is still liable, after all).
Also, for the BiB, what consequences will he have to face if it all comes out?
He's already had a stern talking to by me, but I'd like to give him some constructive adice too.
Any help greatly appreciated!
>>> Edited by justthetip on Tuesday 7th December 19:54
True. The other guys insurance company will only deal with another insurance company i think. Remember, these people will look for ANY excuse to get out of paying, so they'll be rubbing their hands together when they realize he hasn't got any...
Just out of interest, how comes your mate doesn't have insurance on the Beemer? Sheer cost i presume?
He's just got off of a DR10, and was waiting for his 25th birthday so his premium wouldn't be so much (about £1000 to £1200 difference, he claims).
And that's how he learned his lesson.........
I think the best thing for him to do is take the repair of his own car on the chin. The other guy called him and said he wanted to get a family member to repair his punto if possible, but said he would have to go through his insurance when he found out the bimmer repairs will probably be about a grand.
How much do you think it'd cost for his boot/car rear to be straigtened out?
And that's how he learned his lesson.........
I think the best thing for him to do is take the repair of his own car on the chin. The other guy called him and said he wanted to get a family member to repair his punto if possible, but said he would have to go through his insurance when he found out the bimmer repairs will probably be about a grand.
How much do you think it'd cost for his boot/car rear to be straigtened out?
He might get away with not telling the other insurer that he doesn't have a policy, IMO. What if he was TPO or TPFT and didn't have any legal cover? He'd then be trying to arrange the repairs and the claim himself anyway.
He should, in the first instance, GET SOME FUGGIN' INSURANCE! Then, he needs to call the Punto driver's ins co and tell them he will be making a claim against them and will be handling it himself as he is not covered for damage to his own car. They should tell him how many estimates he needs, where to send them etc
I made a claim against a TP insurer myself after an accident a few years ago as I didn't want to have to find my £500 excess and claim it back later. It was easier just to get them to pay for the repair in full directly to the garage.
He should, in the first instance, GET SOME FUGGIN' INSURANCE! Then, he needs to call the Punto driver's ins co and tell them he will be making a claim against them and will be handling it himself as he is not covered for damage to his own car. They should tell him how many estimates he needs, where to send them etc
I made a claim against a TP insurer myself after an accident a few years ago as I didn't want to have to find my £500 excess and claim it back later. It was easier just to get them to pay for the repair in full directly to the garage.
to be honest, he is perfectly allowed to go straight to the third party insurers to get his own car repaired, he doesnt need to tell them he is uninsured as they won't ask because he is surrendering his rights anyway for his own (if he had any) insurers to act on his behalf, so i cant see it mattering.
however, if the roles were reversed and your mate was to hit me and he was uninsured i would not be responsible for my actions. second only to drink driving, i think this type of driver deserves to be banned for life.
however, if the roles were reversed and your mate was to hit me and he was uninsured i would not be responsible for my actions. second only to drink driving, i think this type of driver deserves to be banned for life.
justthetip said:
He's just got off of a DR10, and was waiting for his 25th birthday so his premium wouldn't be so much (about £1000 to £1200 difference, he claims).
Sorry but that just means your mate is a class one w
er. He'd rather save a few quid than ensure he has proper insurance cover. I really do hope he gets found out and screwed, seeing as he's only just been done for no insurance.andy said:
He needs to be very careful about trying to claim for the damage to his car, whilst being uninsured, I think there could even be an element of fraud in this, which as we know is a pretty serious offense, especially when it involves insurance companies.
Andy.
it won't technically be fraud as he is claiming directly from the other insurers. But i agree. The guy deserves to be shafted. Infact
him i hope he gets what he deserves.
A few years ago I was involved in a simalr accident - post office van crashed into the back of my audi - effectively writing it off. (Difference - i was insured of course...) When I contacted my insurance company with details they told me to sort it myself, since I was insured 3rd party only and had no legal cover or courtesy car in order to cut my premium costs. As far as they were concerned it was up to the post office insurance to sort the problem out.....
As for drving uninsured - when my younger brother first passed his driving test (15 years ago) he proudly took his car to school and allowed a friend to drive it, as luck would have it his friend got pulled and both of them were done for no insurance - 6 points each!! So be careful if you let anyone drive your car, even if they say they are insured.
As for insurance companies raising premiums for people with IN10 endorsements - that really does a lot to encourage the great unwashed to get some insurance doesn't it!
They can get a banger for £200 insurance with a clean license may be £300, but IN10 probably doubles it to £600 - so they take the risk of no insurance, since any fine is likely to be less than the insurance, and less than the banger's value.
As for drving uninsured - when my younger brother first passed his driving test (15 years ago) he proudly took his car to school and allowed a friend to drive it, as luck would have it his friend got pulled and both of them were done for no insurance - 6 points each!! So be careful if you let anyone drive your car, even if they say they are insured.
As for insurance companies raising premiums for people with IN10 endorsements - that really does a lot to encourage the great unwashed to get some insurance doesn't it!
They can get a banger for £200 insurance with a clean license may be £300, but IN10 probably doubles it to £600 - so they take the risk of no insurance, since any fine is likely to be less than the insurance, and less than the banger's value.
What a complete tonka - no insurance in a 330 (20-25k?).
Fortunately, in this instance he is the only loser! Fiat at fault but insured. BMW not insured, bashed up. Hopefully the fiat insurance will not pay up for BMW. Imagine if said BMW ploughed into the back of your car? Who pays - not him! or his insurers!
Crush all cars which are not insured period.
Fortunately, in this instance he is the only loser! Fiat at fault but insured. BMW not insured, bashed up. Hopefully the fiat insurance will not pay up for BMW. Imagine if said BMW ploughed into the back of your car? Who pays - not him! or his insurers!
Crush all cars which are not insured period.
I think he'll get away with it.
I had a woman run into me and accept full liability for the damage caused (£1500 - new door and wheel refurb, trim etc).
I phoned her insurance and they sent an engineer round to look at the damage. I got it fixed and her ins co payed.
As soon as it happened I let my ins co know but they were not involved at all.
I had a woman run into me and accept full liability for the damage caused (£1500 - new door and wheel refurb, trim etc).
I phoned her insurance and they sent an engineer round to look at the damage. I got it fixed and her ins co payed.
As soon as it happened I let my ins co know but they were not involved at all.
wolf1 said:
I think you'll find he is well and trully screwed. He is supposed to claim against the other driver through his own insurance.
He is under no such obligation. You are not obliged to give your insurance details, only your name and address and the name and address of the registered keeper, if different. Alternatively you can give the name and address of your solicitor if you feel it would be inappropriate to give out your home address (to the chavscum pikey toerag who's just shunted you up the chuff and offers to get it sorted with his mate who's got a yard off the Old Kent Road).
He can deal with the other insurance company himself (just tell the Punto insurers he's had trouble with his own company and doesn't want the hassle of dealing with them again - even ask them for a quote for a replacement policy
) and he might get away with it. 
I AM NOT CONDONING DRIVING WITHOUT INSURANCE - IMHO HE SHOULD BE MADE TO CLEAN THE LOCAL PUBLIC CONVENIENCE WITH A TOOTHBRUSH EVERY DAY FOR THE NEXT SIX MONTHS.
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