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Over the years there have been many reports about claims management companies, otherwise known as ‘ambulance chasers’ allegedly paying off police, health staff and insurance staff for details of anyone involved in car accidents. They then contact the driver to see if he or his passengers suffered any personal injuries and offering to manage any claims, whether injuries were suffered or not.

Thinking of a change but unsure as to the best way to finance your car? Then you need a copy of my car finance book, Car Finance – A Simple Guide by Graham Hill. Click on the link below to buy the best car finance book on the market, available as a Kindle Book and Paper Back.

In extreme cases those involved in accidents have been ‘encouraged’ to make a personal injury claim after suggesting that a little bit of residual back pain could be whiplash. They also provide a management service including a hire car that is recharged to the insurance company.

You could often deal with these things much more efficiently yourself or via your broker than using the claims management company who have been known to recharge the insurance company with the cost of renting a BMW and providing a Citroen C1 (that’s nothing like a BMW).

The latest occurrence of this crime was a crooked staff member working for AVIVA Insurance who passed on details of accident claims to claims management companies. Drivers started getting calls from several claims management companies offering their services – free of charge following an accident.

They would say that they would look after the whole of the accident claim on your behalf. One gentleman had a simple bang into his neighbour’s car which was settled immediately, he then had up to 5 calls a day from accident management companies offering legal advice to cover his ‘injury claim’ when there clearly wasn’t one.

The AVIVA employee has been sacked and an investigation is being carried out by the police and AVIVA have confirmed that no personal or medical data has been passed on and apologised. Their advice, which is the same as mine if phoned, is simply say the claim has been settled and hang up.

They are charlatans trying to make a quick buck whilst increasing all our premiums. I’m sure, whilst greed exists, we haven’t heard the last of this type of crime. Just don’t get into a conversation whenever they call. By Graham Hill

You know when someone mentions something you see them everywhere. For example someone will say ‘Haven’t seen many magpies about for a while and you agree, only to be confronted by acres of the damned things like a scene out of the Hitchcock thriller, The Birds. A couple of weeks ago it was pancakes, couldn’t move for them and as for Easter eggs I won’t even go there (Morrisons buy one get one free).

Thinking of a change but unsure as to the best way to finance your car? Then you need a copy of my car finance book, Car Finance – A Simple Guide by Graham Hill. Click on the link below to buy the best car finance book on the market, available as a Kindle Book and Paper Back.

But on a serious note I was reading about seat belts and the wearing thereof. In this enlightened age and probably down to the fact that I, along with all my passengers just click up every trip without even giving it a second thought, I believed that the non wearing of seatbelts was a thing of the past.

I even have to belt up my weekly shopping when I put it on the back seat rather than put up with the warning light flashing on the dashboard and the warning ding that gets progressively louder till it drowns out the stereo. But after reading about seatbelts I saw a ridiculous number of drivers unbelted. I couldn’t believe it.

Not only do seatbelts save lives you can also face a very nasty fine and points on your licence. Last year the fixed penalty increased from £60 to £100 along with 3 points on your licence. But what many don’t understand is that the maximum fine for not wearing a seatbelt is actually £500, it is up to the officer who stops you whether to give you a fixed penalty or send you to court so please don’t endanger your life or those of your passengers, make sure to belt up every trip especially if you think you won’t have an accident when popping round the corner to the shops, that’s when most accidents happen.

I have had two cars written off within 100 yards of where I lived at the time. Neither of which was my fault by the way. Oh and finally a bit of good advice from a doctor, when you fasten the seatbelt make sure the belt does NOT sit on your stomach. The belt should fit below the stomach and across the hips.

Illustration of a three-point seatbelt. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Make sure you check this next time you get into the car, there are normally adjusters in the door pillar mountings for drivers and front seat passengers to position the lap belt in the right place. By Graham Hill

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• Over 100 fail to belt up (norfolk.police.uk)

When alloy wheels came onto the market they were revolutionary, they were smarter than the old steel wheels, didn’t need wheel covers that had a habit of flying off if you took a corner faster than 20 miles per hour, they were lighter and by simply changing the design of alloys fitted to your suped up Ford Fiesta you would change it’s whole appearance, like changing the design of glasses that you may wear.

Thinking of a change but unsure as to the best way to finance your car? Then you need a copy of my car finance book, Car Finance – A Simple Guide by Graham Hill. Click on the link below to buy the best car finance book on the market, available as a Kindle Book and Paper Back.

The downside, from my point of view, is the ease with which they scuff. The light weight alloy looks good, is lighter and these days easy enough to fit tyres onto but when a lease car is returned this is the one part of the car that causes most disputes. Scuffed alloys are not fair wear and tear as many drivers believe.

Hit the pavement and damage the alloy it must be repaired before it is returned or you will be charged for a repair. If you opt for the cheapest lease rates you should also be aware that in order to return a decent profit some leasing companies will even try to charge for replacement wheels (check your agreement).

A smart repair to an alloy would be around £30 – £50 per wheel but not good news if you have scuffed all four wheels. However, a better solution may be arriving soon. BMW have developed a new carbon fibre wheel following along behind the carbon tech designed i3 and i8.

Lightweight production boss at BMW, Franz Storkenmaier has been using carbon waste from the car production to develop other products including a carbon fibre steering wheel and combined the carbon with plastic to develop other lightweight components. But his main priority is the carbon fibre wheel rim. We saw some initial ideas fitted on the 2011 Mini Rocketman concept car.

With over a third weight saving over a traditional alloy they will have a measured improvement on CO2 emissions and fuel consumption when fitted. Herr Storkenmaier pointed out that the weight saving was the best sort of saving as it is ‘unsprung mass’ (no I don’t either), he added ‘Carbon Fibre wheels are more damage resistant, scratch them and it’s easier to polish out than an alloy.’

He pointed out that he has two wheels under development, one completely carbon and another with an alloy rim and carbon spokes. BMW has also added that the wheels, whilst lighter, are also stronger. Unfortunately we may not see them in full production for a while as they have yet to be certified by European regulators. By Graham Hill

BMW E63 M6 Coupé Wheel (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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• BMW to Start Producing Their Own Carbon Fiber Wheels (greenne.com)

I was shocked to hear on Radio 5 Live that there is no-one responsible for advising drivers of high sided vehicles when it is safe or unsafe to drive in high winds.

Thinking of a change but unsure as to the best way to finance your car? Then you need a copy of my car finance book, Car Finance – A Simple Guide by Graham Hill. Click on the link below to buy the best car finance book on the market, available as a Kindle Book and Paper Back.

Drivers of trucks explained that during the recent high winds there was no agency responsible for stopping them from driving, in fact under pressure from their employers, drivers found themselves driving in highly dangerous conditions. Whilst employers said that they left it to the drivers to assess whether it was dangerous the drivers themselves admitted to driving in treacherous conditions for fear of losing their jobs.

They also admitted to being blown into the middle lane of motorways causing problems for car drivers. One driver explained that there was no legislation, nor were any warnings posted on the motorway warning Matrix signs warning of the dangers. As a result of this Auto Express decided to carry out an investigation to see who is responsible and why it doesn’t seem to be working.

They first spoke to the Highways Agency who denied responsibility and referred them to the Department for Transport for ‘any legislation that exists on this’. Passing the buck the DfT suggested that as this was health and safety in the workplace that it must surely be the responsibility of the Health and Safety Executive.

They, in turn, said it wasn’t a matter for them, go to the DfT or the Department of Business Innovation and Skill (BIS). What? Having already tried the DfT without success they moved on to BIS who suggested that they try the DfT who could contact the Highways Agency or one of their partners. So there you have it – bloody useless.

So whilst the drivers of high sided vehicles dice with death make sure that when it is windy you don’t travel too close to the side of a truck or you might find yourself sharing the cab with the driver or more seriously involved in a very nasty accident. By Graham Hill

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• Truck drivers: ‘Wind is very dangerous when it comes to 18 wheelers’ (wkyt.com)

GoCompare.com have analysed 6 million quotes to find out which occupations were most likely to make insurance claims only to find that at a shuddering 44% of healthcare workers were by far the most likely. The conclusions were based on analysis of 2013 figures and resulted in a top 50 of professions most likely to make an insurance claim.

Thinking of a change but unsure as to the best way to finance your car? Then you need a copy of my car finance book, Car Finance – A Simple Guide by Graham Hill. Click on the link below to buy the best car finance book on the market, available as a Kindle Book and Paper Back.

Next with a meagre 16% were professionals (this includes chartered surveyors and engineers). With the same percentage but in 3^rd place was Finance (advisors and accountants), followed by Local Government (town planners) with 12% and Legal at 5^th (probation officers/solicitors) with 8% making claims.

Of the medical profession it was GP’s most likely to make a claim with 28% making a claim in the last 5 years. That is nearly twice the national average of 13.1%. In the top ten list of jobs 8 were in healthcare with nurses, dentists and psychologists featuring highly. Professor Andrew Smith at Cardiff University, expert on occupational and health psychology, said that the stressful nature of healthcare no doubt made it top and added, ‘Stress can cause drivers to become clumsy and absent minded at the wheel.’

Many of the claims were the result of minor lapses in concentration brought about by stress and resulting in relatively minor bumps. Surprisingly car dealers had the best record of all with just 3% having made a claim in the past 5 years. Having said that, like all statistics, they aren’t all as they seem, having had Trader Insurance myself in the past it costs a fortune because it allows all named drivers on the policy to drive absolutely any car with maybe one or two restrictions.

But to get the premium down we took an excess of £1,500 so if any damage was under £1,500 we wouldn’t claim but simply pay for the repair. Even if the repair was a little more we still wouldn’t claim because the no claims discount was worth a fortune. So car traders aren’t any more responsible drivers than healthcare workers, it’s just that the costs were in favour of paying for the repair rather than making a claim.

However it doesn’t explain why a motor dealer would be quoted more for insurance if taken out in his own name than a GP! Something wrong there – or is there? By Graham Hill

Something else I write about far too often is warranty claims. Dealers continue to let down customers and drivers know too little about their legal rights and don’t do things that would help their case. A lady had a Toyota that she bought second hand but found shortly after that the alarm constantly and randomly went off whilst parked on her drive.

Thinking of a change but unsure as to the best way to finance your car? Then you need a copy of my car finance book, Car Finance – A Simple Guide by Graham Hill. Click on the link below to buy the best car finance book on the market, available as a Kindle Book and Paper Back.

She returned the car whilst covered by the warranty but the dealer couldn’t replicate the problem so refused to accept that one existed. The problem continued and the car was returned, still no joy as the dealer effectively called the lady a liar.

The fact is that I have an extremely small amount of sympathy for the dealer as faults can often be intermittent so with modern technology why didn’t the lady take a video of the car with the alarm going off to show that it happened.

Or take a letter from a neighbour explaining that the alarm continued to sound without anyone touching the car so at least she can speak with some authority. My sympathy ended when I read that the dealer refused to continue checking the car for the fault after the warranty ran out.

As I have said time and again your legal rights don’t end the day your warranty runs out. Alarms should function properly for the life of the car so if it is faulty when you buy the car from a dealer there is something wrong with it and the supplying dealer needs to fix it or give you your money back. If you are not satisfied get the manufacturer involved and also advise the Office of Fair Trading.

In the case of the lady with the Toyota the manufacturer arranged to have the car looked at and turn down the sensitivity level on the alarm which fixed the problem. Unbelievable! The manufacturer needs to address the incompetence of its franchised dealer. The good news is that I am now working closely with several manufacturers  as a consultant and this is an area that will be addressed as part of my shake up of the industry. By Graham Hill

Talking about Nissan and their love of cameras they have just launched at the Geneva Motor Show a smart rear view mirror. It replaces the glass with an LCD display.

Thinking of a change but unsure as to the best way to finance your car? Then you need a copy of my car finance book, Car Finance – A Simple Guide by Graham Hill. Click on the link below to buy the best car finance book on the market, available as a Kindle Book and Paper Back.

In normal use it acts as a normal mirror but it can be switched to project a view from a rear view camera instead. This gives a clearer view behind especially when it is dark or raining. It also lets you see behind even when the driver’s normal view is impaired by a load that they can’t see by. Another clever idea. By Graham Hill

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• Introducing The New Nissan Smart Camera Technology (dipstix.co.uk)

When Nissan launched the Qashqai 360 that featured all round cameras (360 degrees – get it?) they probably didn’t realise that the cameras could be adapted to record accidents. Whilst Nissan and others started to mount cameras on their cars to assist with parking others were developing in car cameras that would record the bad behaviour of other drivers and record accidents for use in claims.

Thinking of a change but unsure as to the best way to finance your car? Then you need a copy of my car finance book, Car Finance – A Simple Guide by Graham Hill. Click on the link below to buy the best car finance book on the market, available as a Kindle Book and Paper Back.

Camera provider Smart Witness said that they have seen a 40% increase in sales of cameras to those wanting to avoid losing their no claims discount in crash for cash cases. The cameras automatically record everything that happens and can be switched on manually or activated by sudden braking such as in a crash.

Simon Marsh of Smart Witness said ‘It takes all the stress out of a road traffic accident. Liability is quickly established and claims can be settled much more quickly and without disputes.’ But this is likely to change as car mounted cameras, fitted by the car manufacturer, could be slightly modified to do the same thing with the recorded evidence sent via the driver’s smartphone to his or her insurance company.

With cameras mounted all round the car, as with Nissan they could even record damage being inflicted on the car by vandals – now there’s an interesting thought. By Graham Hill

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• Introducing The New Nissan Smart Camera Technology (dipstix.co.uk)

Insurance bloody insurance, I seem to write something about this every week but for once I have something to report on that shows we aren’t so badly off after all. Young drivers pay more for their insurance than they pay for their cars unless they drive a car with pedals, have a tracker embedded in their arm and only drive between 10.00 and 11.00 in the morning.

Thinking of a change but unsure as to the best way to finance your car? Then you need a copy of my car finance book, Car Finance – A Simple Guide by Graham Hill. Click on the link below to buy the best car finance book on the market, available as a Kindle Book and Paper Back.

The days when your dad took out insurance on the kid’s car and named the youngster as named driver are long gone. In fact they have even given this heinous crime a name, it is called ‘fronting’ and if your youngster has an accident the insurance loss adjuster will turn somersaults to try to prove that your son or daughter is the main driver in order to decline the claim.

But just as I thought that our car insurers are the worst on the planet I read about the way that US insurance companies assess the risk of drivers over there. Everything looked fairly similar until I read that when you took out insurance in the US the insurer carried out a credit search.

Not for the obvious reasons that they want to convince themselves that you will make the monthly insurance premium payments but to use your credit score in assessing your risk!! What? It’s true. According to one of their large insurers if you have a low credit score you are believed to be more irresponsible and more likely to have an accident.

I couldn’t believe it when I read it. Are they for real? Now this fact has come to light various driver groups are campaigning to stop this ridiculous assessment. And I totally agree. Over here they don’t go through a full credit assessment even to assess whether you will make your monthly repayments, as the insurer would simply take you off cover if you didn’t pay.

But to suggest that you would be more of a car insurance risk because you have a low credit score is bloody ridiculous! So it would seem that the insurers in the UK are not so bad after all. By Graham Hill

I don’t know if you have seen the advertising offering lower ‘drive like a girl’ car insurance but it hasn’t half caused a stir. You know that the EU told the insurance companies to equalise the cost of insurance between men and women, which they did, but argued that insurance was a risk assessed product.

Thinking of a change but unsure as to the best way to finance your car? Then you need a copy of my car finance book, Car Finance – A Simple Guide by Graham Hill. Click on the link below to buy the best car finance book on the market, available as a Kindle Book and Paper Back.

And statistically young men between 17 and 25 were a much greater insurance risk than girls of the same age. So why charge them both the same for insurance? The counter argument was that you could keep breaking down statistics saying that girls in the north of England were more likely to have an accident than those in the south or that girls born in January were least likely to have an accident so their insurance should be cheaper and so on.

In fact why not just charge everyone a flat figure of £350 per annum and be done with it. That might sound far fetched but fleets have operated that way for years. The insurer would be told that the company had 400 company cars and they charged a flat fee of a fixed sum for all the cars and drivers. If claims went up then the flat rate  insurance premium went up also. Not rocket science.

But now, in order to fly in the face of the EU, and insurance company called Drive Like A Girl is offering cheap insurance not just to girls but lads also between the ages of 17 and 25 – provided they ‘drive like a girl’. Cars are fitted with a black box which assesses your driving style and from this information the insurer can assess whether you should be paying more or less premium.

The company argues that black box stats show that young men are 60% more likely to drive at night than women, are 49% more likely to speed and trigger twice as many aggressive braking alerts. So if young men drive in the same way as women they will receive the same insurance costs.

The same rules apply to women, if they drive in the same way they will achieve maximum discount. They are treading a fine line in my opinion but their low rates are achieving a lot of business. By Graham Hill