If you don’t want to end up with a conviction on your licence and risk your insurer pushing your next car insurance renewal premium up even more, take heed!

Over 90,000 accidents a year are caused by motorists taking risks when breaking down on a motorway, according to a recent survey.

The survey concluded that many drivers simply did not know what to do!

10% of drivers forget to switch on their hazard lights and some drivers even admitted trying to flag down other motorists for assistance!!

Yes, defies belief doesn’t it?

But I bet we have all done something just as daft at some stage following a breakdown such as failing to move the car to somewhere safe to change a tyre, or leave our legs poking out from underneath the car whilst trying to identify that strange noise coming from the engine compartment or exhaust!

So, as a reminder, if you break down:

- Get onto the hard shoulder (or park as safely as possible). If on a Motorway, use an emergency phone as they have numbers on them which help recovery companies identify your exact location. If there isn’t one available or within sight however, use a mobile
- Put those hazard lights on immediately.
- Exit to the car on the passenger side. If this isn’t possible for some reason, be extremely careful opening your door. Watch out particularly for those huge juggernauts – they are so big the draft caused when they pass by can knock you off your feet.
- Just like when parking on a hill, turn the steering wheel so that the wheels are not pointing into the road. This will help enormously and hopefully stop your car running out onto the main traffic if something ran into the back of your car whilst stationery.

These few rules will help keep you safe and compliant with the laws of the road.

You’ll be safe, the police will be happy too if they pass by, and best of all, you will remain conviction free!

Education is very high on the Government’s agenda, and given the good standards we enjoy in the UK means that there are an ever increasing number of students studying in the UK.

Some are affluent in their own right, some are lucky enough to receive full financial support from their parents/guardians, but the majority struggle to balance their books financially.

It is welcome to see therefore that pubs, clubs, financial institutions and even insurance providers are joining the ranks of those companies looking to provide support to students by offering specialist and often discounted services.

A relative newcomer to this arena is studentmotor dedicated to offering students a variety of insurance products covering most students’ needs.

Joining the ranks of Endsleigh Insurance and Young Lady Driver.co.uk, Student Motor aims to offer quality insurance policies geared specifically to male and female, young and mature students at competitive prices.

Student Motor offer their products through an internet web site designed to find competitive car insurance and offer information for drivers, especially students.

Right now Student Motor can get you free key care when you buy your next car insurance - saving you money on the membership and loads more if you lose your keys!

It’s certainly worth checking out if you have any insurance requirements.

Its official, the clocks have gone back 1 hour meaning winter is officially approaching. Commuters can now expect to spend more time driving in the dark than daylight. Drivers should also expect more dangerous driving conditions.

It is so easy to neglect the basics, most drivers will have probably moaned and groaned about dirty lights, windscreens and number plates. Personally, there is nothing more annoying than seeing cars that have either only one brake light working or an electrical fault (usually a bad earth connection) causing the lights to operating wrongly.

That is not to say that I am as big a culprit as anyone else for failing to regularly check the basics. No indeed, it usually takes me to notice a fault with someone else’s car to remind me to check my own!

It is always worth remembering that most accidents happen within 3 miles of home and being seen always improves your chances of getting to your destination safely.

So:

• Keep your lights clean front and back and check them regularly.
•  Keep your windscreen clean and ensure your washer-bottle is always topped up with screen wash
• Keep your tyres at the proper pressure
• Make sure your radiator has the correct amount of antifreeze.
• Reduce speed when weather conditions and visibility demand
• Check your battery condition
 
It’s not rocket science is it?

Just make sure you take the time to do it!

It is unlikely that personal fitness levels appear very high on the list of importance when it comes to considering oneself fit to drive. We all probably tend to interpret the word “fit” to mean, experienced, qualified and capable mentally, rather than physically.

Insurance providers ask questions about a person’s medical condition and general health on proposal forms and before offering quotations, but from a personal point of view, drivers need to consider it a little bit further.

As an example, insurers do not specifically ask whether you wear glasses, but they would certainly give any claim careful consideration if it was established that your ability to drive was impeded or fell short of legal requirements in the event of an accident (irrespective of whether your vision was a contributory factor in the cause of the claim).

In a recent report in the Daily Mail, it was suggested that 12 million women drivers risk their lives by wearing fashionable sunglasses which limit their view of the road rather than practical ones. That statistic is worrying enough and it doesn’t even include male drivers and there are probably as many men out there doing exactly the same!

It is well documented and evidenced through many surveys and government statistics that tiredness, alcohol and drugs are probably the most frequent physical, attributable causes in accidents but this doesn’t mean you need to be super fit. You just need to be sensible, comply with the law, know your limitations and remember your responsibilities to other road users.

Being “fit to drive” is vital and most people will know when they should and shouldn’t drive.

Failure to heed your own sense of responsibility can have serious implications for not only yourself, but passengers, other road users and pedestrians. And that’s before the law comes into play with police prosecution!

Put simply, if there is any doubt, leave it out!

Find another way to get to your destination. It may be far more inconvenient, but at least you will get there, albeit eventually!

Most insurers now offer additional services/products that compliment a car insurance policy such as Breakdown Cover, Protected No Claims Discount or Uninsured Loss Recovery cover.

They are all lucrative for insurers (a bit like travel insurance is for holiday travel companies), but they all have a place, and for some, can prove invaluable!

On this occasion, I will discuss Uninsured Loss Recovery.

What is Uninsured Loss Recovery?

In short, it is best defined as the means to recover losses arising out of a road traffic accident which the claimant is unable to recover from their own insurance policy.

What is an Uninsured Loss?

• A Policy Excess

• Alternative Car Hire charges whilst your own is in for repair or until your claim is settled if your car is considered uneconomical for repair (a write off!)

• Additional travel and accommodation costs

• Medical costs

• Loss of Income

• Compensation for Personal Injury
 
UK Law permits a person who was not to blame for an accident to claim against the third party believed to have caused the accident.

Sometimes, if the person responsible for the accident accepts liability, the claim may seem straightforward but there is always a chance they may change their mind later and deny causing the accident.

There are of course, many legal offices now offering to take on cases for people that have not purchased an Uninsured Loss Recovery policy on a “no win, no fee” basis, but you will have to take the time to visit their offices, explain your case and the circumstances before they will decide whether they will take your case on. If they don’t consider there is much possibility of winning the case, they will probably turn it down!

Boring!!

You are probably right! But none of us can afford to ignore them – without them we are basically stranded.

You would not believe how many accidents are caused by faulty tyres, whether it is due to incorrect tyre pressures, worn tyres, damaged tyres or faulty steering mechanisms. When signing up to an insurance policy, we all agree to maintain our car and keep it in a roadworthy condition.

Did you know that low tyre pressures increases fuel consumption and therefore costs you extra, unnecessary expense?

High tyre pressures are likely to affect stability, particularly when going around bends causing you to lose traction and possibly skid. Anyone who has experienced sliding on ice will know that it is not very pleasant being behind the wheel when you lose control!

There are regulations out there which the police will not hesitate to enforce for our own, our passengers and other road user’s safety.

So, here are a few tips to help you keep your tyres in great shape:

1. Check the treads regularly and remove any small stones that may have wedged in the grooves.

2. Check the tyres are at the right pressure – if you are unsure, check your user manual or call a specialist tyre services garage for advice. Note: Tyre pressures should be checked cold.

3. If you’ve never checked tyre pressures before, get someone to show you how to do it. It is difficult but it is always wise to have someone with you for the first few occasions.

4. Keep an eye on the tyre wear – check your tread depth – usually the edge of coin will offer a general guide – if the edge of the coin is covered when you place into the tread, it should be ok – if it is getting near, take it to a specialist tyre supplier and get them to check it.

5. Have a look at the tyres from the front or back of the car – you should see even wear across the tyre. If one side appears more worn than the other, get them checked professionally as this could be due to a tracking problem or simply just due to incorrect tyre pressures.

6. Check the sides of the tyre for cuts and other damage and seek professional advice if it looks damaged.

Finally - don’t forget, your spare is equally important so make sure you complete the same checks on it as the others. It’s of little use to you if, when needed, it is flat or damaged.

I thought someone better make some enquiries surrounding support available for the ladies – there are plenty of insurance companies out there that will offer discounted insurance premiums for lady drivers but you don’t really see much publicity or help for the ladies to understand the mechanics of car and in fact, just to understand how a car works.

So, after little bit of investigation, I am pleased to say there is help out there.

Yes, most will be able to convince their hubby/partner or boyfriend to carry out any maintenance or running repairs but they are only of use if they are either in the car or in the vicinity.

The role of the woman in today’s world has moved on significantly and we are no longer expected to stay at home and be reliant on the man of the house to look after us and do all the dirty jobs. We are now very independent and there are plenty of us that would like to at least have a go at doing our own repairs/maintenance and prove not to our partners, but to ourselves that we can do it and do not have to rely on others. Some may even want to do it because they like getting their hands dirty.

The traditional Haynes type manuals will explain how to complete virtually all car maintenance but even the most competent amateur mechanic will, on occasion, struggle to follow their guidance.

Well, the answer may be here!

The Essential Car Care For Girls was launched in the UK on September 4th 2008 and could possibly become as commonplace as the old makeup bag.

The author is even a woman, Danielle McCormick.

The book, (which is of course pink by the way), is designed to help women learn everything they need to know about their car, from the basic mechanics of how a car works, to car maintenance, checking air pressures, oil and to what to do in the event of an accident.

It won’t of course be everyone’s cup of tea, and some may even feel it is written in an unusual, and perhaps, even a little condescending way, but why not check it out – it may be just the thing for you.

Car security is getting all the more important and indeed, becoming a condition of car insurance policies rather than entitling the car owner with such specialist devices a discount.

It’s accepted that most new cars are fitted with security devices when leaving the factory nowadays, but when you are looking at older and prestige cars that may not be the case.

In the main, most of us can get away with fitting relatively cheap security/alarm systems but for those people with prestige, luxury or top of the range performance motors from manufacturers such as Aston Martin, Ferrari and Jaguar, these basic systems will simply not be up to scratch.

Autotxt offers a hi-tech system that communicates with an owner’s Bluetooth device e.g. mobile phone.

Trusted by some of the World’s most technologically advanced and prestigious car makers, the system allows customers to benefit from sophisticated and reliable Thatcham approved stolen vehicle tracking solutions including the new UK insurance standard CAT 5 stolen vehicle recovery.

The security unit is concealed in the car and authenticates the driver upon starting the ignition. Turn the ignition on without the authorised Bluetooth phone being recognised and a message is sent to the command centre alerting them to the fact and they initiate steps to track the vehicle.

The command centre will make contact with the owner to verify whether the car has indeed been stolen and if it has, they will immediately notify the police.

Autotxt permits the vehicle to be tracked 24/7 in over 31 countries across Europe and even has the ability to enable the car to be disabled remotely by Autotxt with police permission.

Motor insurers are always in favour of people taking precautions to protect their possessions so if you do install this sophisticated technology, tell your insurer and you never know, given the level of security it offers, they may offer a discount!!

There is a tendency for crime rates to increase both around this time of year and during difficult economic times. A fact even the government acknowledges.

At the moment therefore, we are on a  hiding to nothing if past experiences remain true!

Even though findings of a survey commissioned by Allianz Insurance recently  revealed that  the majority of people believe they are likely to become victims of property crimes such as burglary, car theft or vandalism as a direct result of the current ecomomic difficulties sweeping across the UK.

There are however some simple, relatively inexpensive ways you can protect your worldly possessions. Installing good quality window locks and burglar alarm systems in your home can often prove effective deterrents for any opportunist thief (as long as you remember to use them that is!)

Protecting your cars are a slightly different matter but again, fitting say a steering wheel immobiliser, burglar alarm and/or an immobiliser in your car you will  undoubtedly offer some kind of deterrent making any potential thief thinking twice  before attempting to break in.

The extra security measures could even bring your insurance premiums down a little,  or at the very least avoid any loading to your insurance premium.

It is important to remember however that if you have declared these extra security measures, your insurer will expect you to use them. Failure to do so, could invalidate any claim!

There is a tendency for crime rates to increase both around this time of year and during difficult economic times. A fact even the government acknowledges.

At the moment therefore, we are on a  hiding to nothing if past experiences remain true!

Even though findings of a survey commissioned by Allianz Insurance recently  revealed that  the majority of people believe they are likely to become victims of property crimes such as burglary, car theft or vandalism as a direct result of the current ecomomic difficulties sweeping across the UK.

There are however some simple, relatively inexpensive ways you can protect your worldly possessions. Installing good quality window locks and burglar alarm systems in your home can often prove effective deterrents for any opportunist thief (as long as you remember to use them that is!)

Protecting your cars are a slightly different matter but again, fitting say a steering wheel immobiliser, burglar alarm and/or an immobiliser in your car you will  undoubtedly offer some kind of deterrent making any potential thief thinking twice  before attempting to break in.

The extra security measures could even bring your insurance premiums down a little,  or at the very least avoid any loading to your insurance premium.

It is important to remember however that if you have declared these extra security measures, your insurer will expect you to use them. Failure to do so, could invalidate any claim!