The AnswerBank Articles

Fifty Per Cent Of Drivers Admit They Are 'Road Runners'

Fifty per cent of all motorists say that if they struck an unattended vehicle they would drive off without leaving their motor insurance details – if they believed they could get away with it. However, 50 per cent of all drivers told researchers that they had already been victims of what motor insurance firms ca...16:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Three Quarters Of IVA Applicants "Living Beyond Means"

Most people who apply for Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVAs) to sort out their unsecured loans and credit card borrowing say they were simply living beyond their means, says a new report. The findings have reignited the debate about low interest credit card deals and their effect on spending. IVAs are an alterna...16:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Saying Sorry Could Save Money

As your grandmother will no doubt have told you, manners are free. But a reluctance to say sorry could be costing UK drivers up to £28 million a year in excessive motor insurance claims. Nearly 90 per cent of drivers say that their natural impulse following an accident is to apologise. But as many as a fifth of ...16:36 Mon 24th May 2010

More And Smarter Cameras On The Roads

Roads in the UK could soon be dotted with hundreds of roadside spy cameras cracking down on stolen vehicles and those without motor insurance. Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras would be positioned at strategic locations such as interchanges, petrol stations and town centres as well as motorways, sugges...16:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Drivers Warned To Keep Plates Clear

Drivers are being warned to keep their licence plates and lights clean during the winter months. While there has always been a legal and motor insurance requirement to keep them clear, inadvertently obscured registrations could now trigger police automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras and identify them as c...16:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Police Prepared To Seize And Destroy Unlicensed Mini Bikes

Mini motorbikes found on highways or on public land without the correct licence, taxation and motorbike insurance will be seized and destroyed, police have warned. Sales of the baby motor bikes, only around two feet high but styled to look like super bikes and capable of up to 35mph have taken off recently. But polic...16:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Avoiding A Parking Fine Could Cost Your Car

Motorists could face having their vehicles clamped or seized if they run up three or more outstanding parking tickets. The Department of Transport (DoT) says that it is being forced to consider the drastic measures to make reluctant drivers cough up. It is also considering a national parking fine database, which could...16:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Clampers Still Crooks After Law Changes

Most drivers want to see wheel clamping outlawed on private land says a new motor insurance survey. Ninety four per cent of drivers in England and Wales think that the rest of the UK should follow the example of Scottish authorities that have made it illegal. The result comes despite legislation passed six months ago...16:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Motor Insurance Firms Warn Of Speed Camera Disdain

Motor insurance companies have warned that the continued expansion of speed cameras on our roads is breeding complacency among drivers. Motorists have grown to expect having a few points on their licence, say motor insurance firms. This has devalued the system of using cameras in sensitive places, such as near spots ...16:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Key Carelessness Driving Crime

Drivers not caring where they leave their keys is contributing to a car being stolen every sixty seconds in the UK, says a motor insurance survey. In the cold weather, 20 per cent of drivers say that they leave the keys in the ignition while they wait for the car to defrost in the morning. A further ten per cent told...16:36 Mon 24th May 2010

One In Ten Passengers Failing To Belt Up

Despite long running awareness campaigns by safety organisations and motor insurance companies, one in 16 drivers and one in ten front seat passengers are still failing to belt up, says motor insurance research. And despite the law requiring back seat passengers to wear seatbelts being almost 15 years old, a fifth of ...16:36 Mon 24th May 2010

ABD Urges Government On Only A Fool Campaign

The Association of British Drivers (ABD) is launching a campaign to reduce accidents and fatalities caused by 'rear ending'. The ABD and motor insurance firms are lobbying the government to bring back its Only a Fool Breaks The Two Second Rule Campaign, encouraging motorists to use a fixed point at the side of the roa...16:36 Mon 24th May 2010

IAM Questions Fleet Safety

The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has issued some alarming statistics about the safety of fleet vehicles on the UK roads. The information was gathered through the IAM's 'Drive and Survive' training course, a safety program for business drivers enabling companies to cut their motor insurance costs. The company&...16:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Plate Recognition Cameras Faulty

High tech number plate recognition cameras being used by the police to crack down on drivers without motor insurance cover and crooks are misreading plates, the home office has admitted. A Home Office minister has revealed that one in five readings is currently coming up wrong, meaning thousands of drivers are being w...16:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Fake Crash Fraudsters Netting Millions

Criminals are staging car crashes to defraud motor insurance firms of tens of millions of pounds every year, says the motor insurance industry. The scams are easy to carry out and often feature fake witnesses and passengers to add to their authenticity. Catching the gangs involved is almost impossible say the police. ...16:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Car Key Theft Beaten

Ever since modern immobilisers were invented, cases of key theft have risen, with motor insurance policies often taking issue with payouts in cases where they judge drivers to have been careless with their keys. A welsh electronics firm has come up with an answer to the problem, however, with a transponder device that...16:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Research Suggests Third Of Speed Gun Convictions Wrong

New research has suggested that almost a third of readings from speed guns are wrong. The findings mean that thousands may have wrongly received licence points, had to pay higher motor insurance premiums, or even lost their licences over faulty equipment. Researchers testing the handheld radar devices found that nearl...16:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Deflating Tyres Leak Pennies

Drivers who do not regularly check their tyre pressure could be wasting £6 on every £50 fill up, motor insurance companies have warned. There are also less tangible costs, with tyre life reduced by almost a third when they are run under-inflated. "While the safety message surrounding driving with the...16:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Drinkers Warned Of Bogus Cab Drivers

Safety organisations and motor insurance companies are warning drivers who wisely leave their cars at home while having a drink to beware of bogus minicabs. The drivers of these vehicles may be on the lookout for vulnerable women or be driving without motor insurance, campaigners warn. A safety campaign has suggested...16:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Driver Association Accused Of Encouraging Speeding

The AA has been accused of encouraging speeding by selling devices which alert drivers of nearby speed cameras, the Independent has reported. Although the organisation does not sell radar or camera detectors, it retails navigational devices which can warn drivers of speed cameras which lie ahead. The list of cameras ...16:36 Mon 24th May 2010