Volvo are offering a free safety inspection of all Volvo cars built after 1999.

The inspection includes checks on the mechanical components, critical computers and control units and is worth £56. It doesn’t take long to complete (around 40 minutes) and provides a full test to check that the car is still performing to the highest level of safety demanded at initial production. If you would like to see full details of the items checked during the inspection, please click here.

All Volvo drivers with a car built after 1999 can take advantage of this complimentary inspection by visiting one of 200 Volvo facilities in the UK who have the necessary VIDA (Volvo Information and Diagnostics for Aftersales) system.

The diagnostic system, VIDA offers technicians a direct connection to Volvo in Sweden, allowing the latest software upgrades to be downloaded directly to the car. The system will also display technical information and individual service actions needed on the car.

Existing Volvo customers who already use the Volvo dealer network for service and maintenance can rest assured that this inspection forms part of the Volvo Service Programme and all appropriate upgrades would have been carried out at their last service.

This offer which, whilst can be withdrawn at any time is expected to continue until 31 December 2008 carries terms and conditions, namely; only one free Volvo Safety Inspection is permitted per Volvo car. Further inspections can be carried out at £56 including VAT, offer applicable to retail customers only. This promotion is at participating Volvo Service Centres only.

You should also note that this Volvo Safety Inspection does not replace the requirements of a Volvo scheduled service. Therefore switching off of service reminder lights does not form part of the inspection.

Helphire, one of the numerous companies in the UK that provides rental vehicles to motorists involved in accidents, is going to the European Court of Justice to seek a ruling that will help them to recover more than £5.3 million from the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB).

MIB have refused to pay the rental car costs in respect of a number of claims relating to instances where Helphires’ clients have used other drivers’ insurance details to fraudulently obtain rental vehicles. If they are successful, this ruling could have far reaching impacts for other accident vehicle rental companies who have suffered in the same way.

The Motor Insurance Bureau, (MIB) was established in 1946 to compensate the victims of negligent uninsured and untraced motorists. Every insurer, underwriting compulsory motor insurance is obliged, by virtue of the Road Traffic Act 1988, to be a member of MIB and to contribute to its funding.

The matter of insurance companies paying out for car contract hire rental to a third party following accidents caused by their customer has been an issue for many years and numerous rental companies have struggled financially to maintain services as insurance companies delay payment or challenge the fees/contracts through court actions.

Helphire generally has to wait an average of eight months to recover its debts and in some cases, settlement has been outstanding for over 18 months.

There could be some sunshine on the horizon for drivers with up to six points on their licence.

There are now an estimated 6 million drivers in the UK with points on their licences and insurers are starting to change their attitude towards those drivers having up to six penalty points on their licence and considering them a more “standard” risk.

A YouGov survey conducted in 2006 estimated that 16% of drivers had points on their licence and as the number of drivers increases, along with more and more speed controls such as the 6000 speed cameras on UK roads, it is likely that this figure will continue to rise.

Insurance providers are therefore finding themselves forced to acknowledge that they can no longer reasonably apply a heavy risk weighting on any particular driver based on the penalty points on their licence.

Long gone are the days when insurers could safely consider someone with points on their licence as a reckless driver and an accident waiting to happen so if you are unfortunate enough to have points on your licence, it may not be as bad as first thought.

Make sure you shop around to ensure you obtain the most competitive proce for your car insurance.

Thousands of people are killed on UK roads every year.

One of the major contributory factors in a large percentage of these road traffic accidents is speed.

Speed calming measures such as road humps and speed cameras have made some impact but speeding continues to be an issue on UK roads.

Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA) is a general term for Intelligent Transport Systems that serve to limit the speed of a vehicle. By restricting the vehicle to the speed limits, ISA potentially provides one of the most effective strategies for reducing speeds on our roads.

The UK ISA project began in January 2001 and was funded by the Department for Transport and undertaken by the University of Leeds and the Motor Industry Research Association.

Results from the study whereby a fleet of cars had devices fitted to them which monitored their speed via beacons strategically placed along the roads and applied their brakes in the evnt of excessive speed could potentially save up to 720 lives.

The in-car device could cut road deaths by 25% if it was made compulsory and fitted to all cars the Government study revealed, and The Department of Transport forecast that voluntary application of the device would save around 256 lives (10%)  a year.

If the study proved accurate, look at the time and financial savings this could realise for the emergency services, freeing them up for other emergency situations which could in fact indirectly increase the number of lives saved in other areas.

To override this automated speed control device, users would simply depress their accelerator firmly, or push a special button.
 
There is no indication at present whether drivers who have one of these devices fitted to their car can expect to receive discounts from insurers but we will keep our fingers crossed on that one!

The Government however, ever fearful of further negative reaction from motorists have welcomed the results but insists it would not make the system compulsory.

The Department for Transport said:

‘It could be a useful road safety feature for drivers who wish to use it.’

Transport Minister, Jim Fitzpatrick has announced plans for a consultation paper on looking at new ways to address the problem of uninsured drivers on our UK roads by harnessing computer technology.

There are at present databases managed by different organisations that Mr Fitzpatrick would like to encourage to work together by the end of the consultation, hopefully leading to fewer uninsured drivers getting away with it.

It is anticipated that The Motor Insurance Bureau maintain a database which will be compared with the DVLA registered keeper database, so anyone owning a car without a valid car insurance policy recorded on the other database will be easily identified.

It is estimated that there are approximately 1.5 million vehicles in the UK that are suspected of being driven without the legal minimum insurance requirements as laid down in the Road Traffic Act 1988 Part V1, Section 143 which defines the compulsory insurance requirements for motor users and these drivers currently cost those complying with the law around £30 extra on their car insurance policies each year according to the Motor Insurance Bureau.

Now, it may be tempting to take the risk of driving your car uninsured even for a short period of time but big brother will soon be watching even more closely so please take extra care, protect yourselves, your families and friends and make sure that you do not drive your car on the road without a valid insurance policy.

There is little worse than being involved in an accident whether minor or fatal, and finding that we have no form of recourse against the 3rd Party.

There is no need to completely despair if you do find yourselves involved in an accident with an uninsured driver however, there is some help available. Please have a read of my article entitled “Uninsured Losses” published on Wednesday 06 August 2008 for further information.

A national motor insurance provider has revealed that 5% of all their motor accident insurance claims they have processed have involved car accessories either distracting drivers or obstructing motorists’ views in the last two years.

Drivers in the UK spend £320million per year* on these aesthetically pleasing little items to dress up their cars.

These accessories include items such as: car stickers on rear windscreens, Steering wheel covers, fluffy dice, cartoon characters on the rear parcel shelf and fancy gear knobs.
 
It is surprising how many accidents are caused by these car accessories and whilst it may be is great to personalise your car,  you need to be careful they do not restrict views or can interfere in anyway with your driving of the car and of course, ensure they are securely attached.

Also, whilst thinking about their location, if these items have sharp edges, make sure that if you were involved in an accident, they are not likely to cause further injury if you were suddenly knocked forward onto them. Think safety and be sensible and they will be fine additions to your car, ignore safety and they could cause a serious injury to you or a passenger!

These incidents are not only dangerous for drivers, passengers and other road users but if the trend continues, it is very possible that insurers will start to look at increasing premiums.

 *Source Max Power Magazine

The Uk is one of only a very few EU countries permitting 17-year-olds to hold full driving licences.

Whilst reports that the minimum legal driving age will effectively be increased to 18 years under reforms to cut the number of deaths caused by novice drivers, nothing substantive has yet been published.

A consultation paper is due to be published in October 2008 with details of the proposals which will require a change in law to become enforceable.

It is also thought that a further review paper is also expected to be published suggesting a zero alcohol limit for all newly qualified drivers during the initial 12 month period following passing their driving test.

Young male drivers are the biggest cause of death of young women in Britain with 1 in 2 deaths being caused at night. Any newly qualified drivers found behind the wheel with alcohol in their blood would be forced to retake their test and there are thoughts that motorway driving may also be restricted to more experienced drivers.

27% of teenage male drivers are involved in a collision in their first year of driving with more than 1,000 people under the age of 25 years killed in motor accidents in 2006.

If you already have car insurance and your insurer refuses to cover the vehicle you are thinking of buying/have already purchased or simply hikes the insurance premium up to some astronomical amount - don’t panic. Most insurers are selective in the cars they will provide cover for and you may even be part of a special scheme with discounted premiums.

If they refuse to insure your new vehicle, you should be entitled to what is known as a “Pro-Rata” refund i.e. you will only be charged for the period your previous vehicle has been insured. For example – you paid £365 up front for the annual car insurance policy on your previous vehicle. You change your vehicle some 200 days into the policy and they refuse to insure your new vehicle. They should only charge you for the period your old vehicle was insured i.e. £200. You should get the balance of your annual premium refunded to you (£165) which you can use towards the cost of a new policy for your replacement vehicle.

You should be aware that any refund (if any) may be a little different if you pay your premiums monthly. 

If you are offered anything different, challenge them! After all, it isn’t your fault!

Similarly, if your insurance was arranged through a broker and they try to take a fee, challenge them! Offer them the opportunity to provide a quote from an alternative supplier. Don’t simply pay fees without putting up a fight. It’s worth a try!

The phrase “Company Policy” simply means that someone, somewhere decided to make some extra profit by charging fees. Anyone making that decision can just as easily “revoke/make an exception” – don’t worry that they may not have done it for anyone else, you are only concerned with your own circumstances.

Be polite, be firm, choose your words carefully and be clear in what you want. Without trying to be antagonistic, don’t be afraid to ask to speak to someone in higher authority.

If your present insurer will cover your new vehicle, albeit at a much higher premium, try shopping around a little and if you find their premium is significantly higher than the rest, try going back to them and negotiate a reduced premium. If you then decide to cancel your policy with your current insurer, you will be charged cancellation fees and possibly an administration fee which are unlikely to be waived, so make sure you check your policy cancellation charges and make sure that is worth changing insurers immediately or simply waiting until your policy is next due for renewal. 

Vehicle-related theft fell by some 51% in the period 1997-2006. This still equated to some 199,531 cars being stolen in England, Scotland and Wales in 2005.

Cars 12 and 14 years old (registered between 1990 and 1992) faced the greatest risk of being stolen, with a theft rate of 22 cars per 1,000 registered according to The Car Theft Index.

Whilst the car stolen most often in 2005 was the Vauxhall Belmont with 76 being stolen for every 1000 registered, overall, cars over 9 years old continue to account for two-thirds of all cars stolen.

The small saloon/hatchbacks categorised under the heading Minis and Superminis such as the Mini, Metro, Corsa etc. remain most at risk of being stolen.

People Carriers and 4×4s fair better with only 4 stolen per 1,000 registered.

Newer cars registered between 2002 and 2004 were the proud holders of the title “least likely to be stolen” having the lowest rates of theft with only 3 stolen per 1,000 registered.

The survey further supports the fact that cars fitted with car alarms or immobilisers are far less likely to be stolen.

The British Crime Survey consistently reports that around 67% of vehicle crimes occur near the home with the streets right outside people’s homes accounting for 41% of all theft related incidents in 2004-05.

Now the risk of theft reported in the index does not necessarily match the insurance group rating applied by insurance companies as they also take vehicle accident repair costs into account and also refer to the New Vehicle Security Rating compiled by Thatcham from which insurance companies  have developed their own 5 start rating scheme.

If you would like to find out more about the survey and the Security Rating for the car you own or are thinking of buying, it would be worth looking at the The Car Theft Index and thatcham.org | New Vehicle Security Ratings.

Source: Home Office. Gov.uk/car-theft-index

If you are not lucky enough to be able to purchase a nice, brand new car, straight off the forecourt, you may be looking at purchasing a used car.

Remember, cars are much more reliable now than they used to be and there is a wealth of information available over the internet which point out the most common faults for any car you are thinking of purchasing and how to spot them.

Some other areas you may want to consider are:-

Resale price of the vehicle – the price of some used vehicles is a lot lower than others. There are many factors that affect this resale price – the biggest drop in price is normally in the first 2-3 years of a cars first registration.

Other factors can be insurance costs, fuel economy, service history, reliability, price of replacement parts and of course, the popularity of the model you want to purchase (good old supply and demand – if supply is limited for a particular vehicle the higher the price is likely to be!).

Don’t be put off by the make, there are some very good motors out there now that are made by companies that may not be the most common, but are equally reliable and are now starting to grow in popularity and maintain their resale prices. Some even come with long warranties!

Finally, be open minded, it is unlikely that you will lay your hands on a car in perfect condition, they will have faults, it’s just a case of assessing whether you can afford to fix these faults or you can live with them.

Don’t forget, you can always get the car inspected by a qualified mechanic and have the vehicle HPI checked, check the log book and cross check that the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) is the same as that on the car itself. Get the VIN checked via Carfax to see if it has been involved in any insurance claims.

Be suspicious of anyone not prepared to let you do this – they may have something to hide!