The Government’s Intelligence Centre is to compile a database to track and store the international travel records of millions of Britons.

The intelligence centre will store names, addresses, telephone numbers, seat reservations, travel itineraries and credit card details for all 250 million journeys made in and out of the UK each year.

Regular travellers taking their cars overseas therefore that exceed their visiting limits on their green card car insurance policy could find themselves at risk of having any insurance claims rejected if this information is shared with insurance providers. It is therefore going to be even more important to ensure your insurer is made aware of any overseas travel you make in your car.

The computerised pattern of every individual’s travel history will be kept for up to 10 years.

In fact, the e-Borders scheme initiative has already screened over 75 million passengers against immigration, customs and police watch-lists, leading to over 2,700 arrests for crimes such as murder, rape and assault” according to Minister of State for borders and immigration Philip Woolas.

The Government says the database is essential in the fight against crime, illegal immigration and terrorism but MPs and privacy campaigners in opposition, offer other suggestions, saying they fear it is a significant step towards us all living in a surveillance society.

The e-Borders scheme covers flights, ferries and rail journeys so even those taking their cars overseas will not escape having their details included on this database. The scheme is also hoped to help establish identify those people avoiding UK tax by claiming to be resident overseas.

There is a staged approach to achieving full operational status by March 2014.

It is a documented fact that young drivers are a bigger risk than the rest of the car drivers in the UK for insurers; hence their premiums are proportionately higher. But it appears few are prepared to apply common sense and purchase cars with smaller engines which in turn carry a lower car group rating and therefore lower premiums.

Younger drivers aged 17-21 years old continue to cost themselves unnecessary expense by choosing cars that come into higher insurance bracket.

Is it a macho thing? Apparently not as whilst 63% of drivers in that age group are seeking quotes for cars with engine sizes greater than 1250cc, it is only marginally more males than females.

Gocompare’s research on this in late 2008 and reported that around 2/3rd’‘s of males sought quotes for vehicles with more than a 1250 cc engine (standard or modified vehicles), 55% of females did the very same.

The boys are far more prepared to purchase those modified vehicles with twice as many males seeking quotes for such vehicles than females.

It is interesting to note that this trend is in spite of insurance premiums for young males generally increasing in recent years whilst those lucky young ladies have seen their premiums fall.

As new car sales plummet and money gets tighter, there is always a temptation to put off minor maintenance repairs to not only one’s home, but to our cars as well.

And the consequences can be expensive, if not fatal.

Nobody wants to spend their hard earned money at the moment but if you do not invest a little in keeping your car roadworthy, you risk not only yourselves and any passengers, but the wrath of the police and your insurers.

It is a condition of your insurance policy that your vehicle is kept in a roadworthy condition when used on public highways. The police will not hesitate to prosecute anyone driving on our roads without a valid MOT, insurance along with a variety of other reasons.

Motor engineers and servicing specialists are equally looking to generate business in this tough economic climate just like every other business, so whilst you may not want to fork out for a service and get that car checked over, you may in fact find yourself being able to negotiate a far better deal than you think.

With the adverse weather making driving conditions treacherous in places, it must be worth having a chat with your local garage or mechanic.

Research by a major price comparison website has shown that redundancy can prove particularly expensive for motorists suggesting that losing a job can also lead to a dramatic rise in the cost of your car insurance.

Occupations and the usage of the car have always been major underwriting factors considered by insurance underwriters but according to uSwitch.com premiums can increase by around 20% on average for jobless people.

It isn’t all bad news however as the older, more experienced drivers who have earned no claims bonus will probably find their premium to remain the same or possbily reducing.

If you are young however, say 20 years old, with only 1 years no claims bonus, uSwitch reported the insurance premium increasing by 45%.

Even a 40 year old male without any NCB could find their premium increasing by up to 22%.

Underwriters assess premiums and risk on the assumption that in the event of an individual become unemployed, then their car usage will increase, either because of the need to drive to interviews or because the insured has more free time.

If you are unfortunate enough to find yourself jobless at any time, please do not forget to inform your insurers.

Fail to do so and you could be risking your insurer refusing any claim on the grounds of non-disclosure of a material fact which could have affected your insurance policy and premium. 

All too often, as consumers, we simply decide on the level of cover we want for car insurance and then compare the costs provided by insurance companies.

We may have heard of the insurance provider, we may not have, it makes no difference as long as the cover is in place and we conform to UK legal requirements.

Periodically, therefore, I intend to include a little history and information about specific car insurance providers in the UK.

It is important to note that many of these insurers have diverse portfolios and do not offer only car insurance

In this article you will be provided a little information about Eagle Star Insurance Company.

The present name Eagle Star was adopted in 1937 but it started to assume its present form in 1917 when the British Dominions General Insurance Co Ltd, merged with Eagle Insurance Company, Sceptre Life Association Ltd and Star Assurance Society to form Eagle Star and British Dominions Insurance Company Ltd.

Diversification and growth continued when in 1959, Eagle Star acquired Midland Assurance Ltd, prominent in employers’ liability insurance and the subsequent acquisition of Navigators and General Insurance Co Ltd, very prominent in the insurance of yachts and small craft in 1960.

Eagle Star is also associated through minority interests and various reinsurance and co-operation agreements with a number of insurance companies in other countries.

Eagle Star Group underwrites fire, accident, motor, marine, aviation and transport risks within the United Kingdom and overseas,
including reinsurance and is what is known as a proprietary composite insurance company.

Proprietary in the sense that it is a publicly owned joint stock company as opposed to a mutual association and composite in the sense that it carries on both life and non-life insurance.

Eagle Star is involved in property management which has been acquired, managed, and developed over many years.

Within the United Kingdom the Eagle Star Group transacts its insurance business through a regional network of over 100 branch offices and the 10 regional offices with many other branches enjoying a large degree of decentralised underwriting authority.

With the recent addition of none new insurance brands to its car insurance comparison service, Gocompare.com has confirmed it’s position as the UK’s leading car insurance comparison site.
.
The addition of HSBC, Insurance4my, 1st Central, Insurebasics, Moorhouse Exclusive, Motor Insurance Warehouse, One call Direct, Renault and The Post Office now offers visitors to the site unrivalled market coverage which even drivers with unusual vehicles or circumstances can use.

Anyone wanting to obtain a quote and compare the levels of cover and premiums offered can now compare insurance products from up to 90 insurance providers in a matter of minutes.

Gocompare claim their breadth of coverage across the motor insurance market is unrivalled enabling them to cater for a wider variety of risks than ever.

Information provided offers consumers the product information they need to find the right insurance together with assurance that the price the customer sees at our site is the same as if they went direct, which means customers can trust the prices they see on the site.

The new insurer, 1st Central, will be distributing their insurance products only via comparison sites and signifies an exciting time for the insurance industry demonstrating the importance comparison sites as a distribution channel for the most competitive insurance companies.

Pay-As-You-Go car insurance has resurrected itself in the UK following the launch by Coverbox of their new pay-as-you-drive insurance product.

Coverbox monitors their customer’s usage in terms of distance covered and the time of day or night a vehicle is used, and calculates its charges according to mileage covered in off-peak, peak or “super-peak” periods.

Coverbox technology means customers will also have the additional peace of mind that it can track and locate the car if it is stolen.

Coverbox treats the insurance cost like a utility bill. At certain times of the year you will drive more miles than forecast and at other times less, just like you use more water in the summer than in the winter. You can control your costs once they have installed the free coverbox device in your car, still paying for your insurance monthly or annually.

Sandy Dunn, Chairman of Wunelli Limited, the company behind Coverbox, says:

“We believe both the consumer and the motor industry are ready for pay-as-you-drive. Others have tried before with older generation technology but our solution is new-generation, highly-capable and based on integrated security solutions specified and proven by the leading car manufacturers in Europe and Japan. The entire concept and system has been thoroughly tried and tested”.

When you take out a coverbox policy you pay an initial payment, including a £39 installation fee, the coverbox itself is free.

The Motor Insurance Bureau (MIB) was established in 1946 as a private company limited by guarantee for the purpose of entering into Agreements with the Government to compensate the victims of negligent uninsured and untraced motorists.

Every insurance company 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.

In short therefore, a percentage of your insurance premium is used to fund the MIB, and due to the number and monetary value of claims, this contribution is generally increasing, year in, year out.

A fundamental component for MIB is to ensure that claims which result from the negligent actions of uninsured or untraced motorists are dealt with fairly, efficiently and promptly.

The good news is that the total number of new claims reported to the Bureau in 2007 fell for the second consecutive year realising an almost 10% reduction in the last two years displaying progress by the insurance industry, the Government and the Police in delivering positive results in the fight against uninsured driving.

The MIB, ABI (Association of British Insurers) and BIBA (British Insurance Brokers Association) have worked closely with the Government, the Police and DVLA to co-ordinate activity in order to address this socially unacceptable menace of uninsured motoring.

It is therefore essential that enforcement action is maintained against offenders. The Motor Insurance Database (MID) is now proving to be a key tool in the fight against uninsured motoring.

The Police have access to the MID, as do the DVLA when you tax your vehicle on line. It is therefore essential that your insurance record is correctly on the MID.

The penalties for failure to comply are getting more and more severe so if you want to keep driving on our roads, make sure you are insured.

You have been warned.

In this second article, we will deal with the technical aspects if you are unfortunately involved in an accident overseas.

Try not to admit liaibility.

You may be asked for, and should be prepared to produce your driving licence, the registration document for the vehicle to prove ownership although other evidence may be acceptable and your insurance certificate or Green Card (which has for many years been the most widely accepted evidence of insurance for foreign registered vehicles).

It is ok for you to complete and sign European Accident Statement as it is simply a method of ensuring that the parties to an accident exchange the relevant information and details of the accident. Make sure that you retain a copy and you understand what the other person has written.

If the police are involved, again, stay calm, listen carefully and if you experience difficulty in understanding them, try and explain that you need an interpreter.

In some countries drivers may be arrested and their vehicles impounded, when the accident is serious, to allow time for fault to be determined. If this happens, ask to contact the British Consul or equivalent as soon as possible.

If your car is immobilised, notify your insurers as soon as possible. If it is driveable, then it is usually acceptable to wait until you return to the UK but check with your insurers before embarking on your trip, particularly if you are going to be abroad for more than 14 days duration. You should have been provided with a name and contact details of a representative for your insurer when you advised your insurer of your intention to go abroad.

In the run up to Valentine’s day, it is perhaps appropriate to remind readers about what you should expect in the event of an accident when driving overseas to ensure you know what to expect and any interruption to that romantic few days is not affected too badly.

This article therefore lays out some basics:

It is of course, important to remember to ensure your insurance is valid for driving in the countries you intend to visit.

Under EU law, all car insurance providers are obliged to offer third-party only cover when driving abroad. This level of cover will only pay out for damage sustained to another vehicle or driver - it does not protect against theft, accidental damage, or personal injury.

It may be possible to extend comprehensive cover for the duration of an overseas trip, but drivers need to check the small print, as some insurers will charge for this.

Before setting out, it is important to confirm that your insurance policy provides adequate cover for the countries you will be driving through as the road traffic rules can vary from country to country rules are different.

There may come a time when you find yourself involved or caught up in an accident of some kind.

If this happens, you should stop as soon as it is safe to do so, and place your accident warning triangle at a distance far enough away from your car or the scene of the accident to allow passing traffic to take avoiding action.

Try not to admit liability, say as little as possible and remain calm, especially in any dealings with the local police.
The only document you should sign is the European Accident Statement or “Constat Amiable”.

The subsequent article will offer guidance on the technical aspects.