Monthly archive for June 2011

Prevent your vehicle from being targeted by criminals

On June 29, 2011   /   Current News  

AVCIS  advise motorists to follow these guidelines to prevent their vehicles from being targeted by criminals:

Don't let your vehicle be next!

  • Ensure that car keys are not left in sight within your house: thieves often fish keys through letterboxes and open windows
  • If you have a garage, store your car there whenever possible
  • With the summer months approaching, people often leave doors and windows open: ensure your keys aren’t easily accessible for opportunist thieves, but equally do not hide them and put yourself at risk of harm from a determined thief
  • Lock your car whenever you leave it. Even if you are simply unloading the car, make sure that you remove the keys and lock the vehicle. If your car is stolen through these means if often invalidates your insurance

Almost 9,000 vehicles across the UK were stolen in just 36 days at the beginning of 2011, reports the Association of Chief Police Officers Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (AVCIS).

This new data illustrates that 50 per cent of thefts were made when a vehicle was left at the owner’s home address or close by, including 17.6 per cent through the burglary of properties to obtain car keys.

A third were stolen when vehicles were away from the home and four per cent of crimes during the 36 day sample were made by opportunist thieves, where keys were left in or within easy reach of the vehicle. Shockingly, this would mean that annually 3,400 thefts could be easily prevented through heightened awareness.

For more information on vehicle crime and AVCIS visit www.avcis.police.uk .

Did you know most motor policies will not give you a courtesy vehicle if you vehicle is stolen and it can take up to a month for an insurer to settle a theft claim and this can be a big problem if you are self employed and don’t have a replacement vehicle to use for work.

We can offer an insurance product which gives a replacement vehicle following a theft or total loss claim  for 14 days or 28 days starting from an annual premium of £20.00.

For more information give us a ring on 01937 544784.

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Ford Transit remains top of the thiefs Hit List

On June 22, 2011   /   Current News  

The workman’s favourite is the most popular vehicle to be stolen in the first quarter of 2011,* illustrating that it’s not just those with high-end vehicles that need to be wary of theft.  Not only does a van such as the Ford Transit prove to be valuable in terms of spare parts or as scrap metal, but the lure of potential tools and other contents stored in the back makes it irresistible for thieves.

“Vehicles appearing in the list may surprise motorists,” said Head of AVCIS, Detective Chief Inspector Mark Hooper.  Although high-end cars are stolen to order by criminals, those driving more affordable vehicles should not be complacent.  Whatever vehicle you drive, security should always be a priority.”

Top ten stolen vehicles in Q1 2011

Top of Car Thieves Hit List

  1. Ford Transit
  2. Vauxhall Astra
  3. Ford Fiesta
  4. Volkswagen Golf
  5. Vauxhall Corsa
  6. BMW 3 Series
  7. Ford Focus
  8. Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
  9. Ford Mondeo
  10. Honda Civic

Did you know most motor policies will not give you a courtesy vehicle if you vehicle is stolen and it can take up to a month for an insurer to settle a theft claim.   This can be a big problem if you’re self employed  and don’t have a replacement vehicle to use for work.

We can offer an insurance product which gives a replacement vehicle following a theft or total loss claim  for 14 days or 28 days starting from an annual premium of £20.00.

For further information contact us on 01937 544784 or click here.

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Would you know what to do if you were involved in a car accident?

On June 15, 2011   /   Current News  

BIBA – the British Insurance Brokers’ Association give the following advice if you are involved in an accident.

Do you know what to do?

  • If you have a vehicle accident which causes injury or damage, you must give your name and address, and details of your insurance policy to anyone who reasonably needs it.
  • If you’re involved in an accident, do not admit liability. Take the name and address of the other driver, and details of their insurance company, and of any witnesses. If anyone is injured, call the police. If they do not attend the scene, or if someone else’s property has been damaged, the accident must be reported to the police within 24 hours.
  • You must tell your insurance company about the accident, even if you do not intend making a claim, as you will always need to report and incident. Your broker can advise you about whether you should make a claim or not.
  • If you intend to claim, you’ll have to contact your broker. You should wait for the go-ahead from your insurance company before having your vehicle repaired. They may want a damage assessor to look at it, or you may have to supply estimates before the work is done. Some insurers may have their own repair schemes, where you can take the vehicle to garages which may be able to start repairs immediately.
  • If you have to pay a proportion of the repair costs, then you must pay this to the repairer irrespective of who was to blame for the accident. Should you decide to go ahead with the repair yourself, you are responsible for the cost until your insurers have agreed to pay. But beware of taking this course of action, because if the insurer can show repairs could have been done cheaper somewhere else, they may pay a lesser amount than you claim.
  • If your vehicle is not worth repairing, the insurance company will offer you a lump sum for it. This is known as a ‘write-off’ or ‘total-loss’. The damaged vehicle then belongs to them.
  • After an accident, you may incur expenses which are not covered by your policy – examples are the cost of hiring a car while yours is repaired, or compensation for personal injury. Such expenses might be claimed against a third party – again, your broker will be able to give you all the advice you need.

For more advice on Car Insurance get in touch – we’ll be happy to help and advise tel: 01377 318255.

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Taking your car abroad this summer? Read on …..

On June 8, 2011   /   Current News  

BIBA – the British Insurance Brokers’ Association recommends the following:

Make sure you're covered abroad

Your UK policy will provide cover in EU countries to meet their minimum legal requirements, but this may not be enough if you have an accident.  Nor will it cover you for theft or damage to your car, and may not cover your legal liabilities to other people.  Some insurers will ask you to pay an additional premium for comprehensive cover whereas others give it at no cost.  If you are a regular traveller to the continent check with your broker who will select the most appropriate choice for you.  You may need to advise your insurer of any overseas trip.

If you don’t tell your insurer and have an accident, you may find yourself paying for the extra costs that would have been incurred had the accident happened in this country, provided the insurer agrees to deal with the claim.

When you start your policy ask your broker if you have an EU certificate and if it is necessary to tell them about journeys less than 30 days to Europe.

If you do not have a EU certificate, or are travelling outside Europe you will need to give your broker plenty of notice that you wish to order a green card. This will provide the necessary evidence that your policy meets the legal requirements for third party liability in the country you are visiting.

However always ensure that if you do travel outside the UK your insurance policy will extend the same cover to Europe.  Some policies will only give the minimum legal requirement in the country visited which will not necessarily be the same as the cover you have in the UK and in this scenario will certainly not provide cover for loss or damage to your vehicle.

For more information and to check if you’re covered give us a call on 01377 318255 or email info@a1insurance.co.uk.

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