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How safe do you feel driving to work on a Monday morning? If the statistics produced by swiftcover.com are anything to go by you should feel less safe than any other day of the week. According to their 2013 claim data drivers were more likely to have a driving incident resulting in a claim on a Monday (17%) than any other day of the week.

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.

You are 36% more likely to have a windscreen claim on a Monday than any other

A car crash on Jagtvej in Copenhagen, Denmark. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

day, their statistics showed that the average was 10,000 on a Monday compared to the daily average of 7,922. Monday also sees a rise in single vehicle incidents, i.e. a car that hits a bollard or lamppost with no other vehicles involved. So what are the reasons for this higher number of incidents on a Monday?

Maxine Tighe, head of motor claims at swiftcover.com, suggests that it is the result of bleary eyed motorists recovering from the weekend and trying to get back into work mode lacking concentration. They found that whilst Monday was a bad day for single vehicle collisions Friday was the worst for multi-vehicle collisions as people dash home for the weekend, especially during the rush hour mayhem.

The weekend is safest as there are fewer cars on the roads. On the other hand loss of keys, vandalism and theft all rise on a Saturday and Sunday as cars are more at risk parked outside homes. How very very interesting swiftcover.com! Yawn!

Here is an interesting scam that is apparently on the rise. Crooks are buying cars from dealers, often using stolen credit cards, then selling the car privately to an unsuspecting buyer. When the dealer realises that the payment has bounced the car is listed on the Police National Computer (PNC) and the police alerted that the car has been stolen.

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.

Following this, and often with the use of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (APNR) Cameras the police apprehend the innocent driver and confiscate the car. But there is a question mark over the legality of this confiscation. If a crook stole a car from say a car park and sold it to a third party title doesn’t pass and the owner has every right to recover the vehicle.

However, if a car is sold by someone who has HP on the car and the buyer wasn’t aware of the HP at the time of purchase then he is regarded as an ‘Innocent Buyer’ and title passes but what happens if the car is bought with a credit card and therefore subject to finance does title pass?

The question for the police to answer is, ‘Has the car been obtained by fraudulent means or by theft?’ Theft is clear cut – title does not pass but where the transaction is fraudulent then title can pass to the innocent buyer. The problem for the buyer is that it can be hard to trace whether the car was stolen or not.

You may be able to locate the last owner but he may have sold the car privately, to a dealer or through auction and it could have passed through several hands before ending up on a dealer’s forecourt from whom the car was either fraudulently purchased or stolen.

As always you should  check with HPI to see if the car has been written off or on finance when buying privately, also if the person selling you the car isn’t the person to whom the car is registered check the previous owner and find out who bought the car from him and check that title has passed. Better still lease a new car from me – so much easier and trustworthy. By Graham Hill

Flooding on our street (Photo credit: jessicafm)

We saw the sad pictures on TV following the floods in various parts of the country. People’s homes were wrecked with thousands of pounds of damage caused to furniture and possessions.

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 what about all the cars we saw up to their bonnets in muddy water. Many would be subject to insurance claims and be paid out with a large number being written off according to the AA. And if a car is written off they are subjected to some very stringent rules before, if ever, they are allowed back on the road.

But it would seem that many drivers either didn’t make a claim or couldn’t because their policy didn’t cover them for flood damage. They simply dried the car out, maybe changed the carpets and have been selling them privately or through auction, possibly ending up on dealer forecourts.

Amazingly 70% of all cars that have been submersed in water are written off due to engine damage or electrical safety problems. Water can also seriously damage air bags and catalytic converters, something you may not notice when buying a used car. So be very careful if you are buying a used car, you might find yourself buying an ex flood damaged car. By Graham Hill

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

Related articles

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

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

Related articles

• 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

Related articles

• 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