Car insurance fraud on the rise

One of the lesser reported stories to make the news during this economic crisis is the issue of increasing fraud and avoidance hitting the insurance industry.

While there's little call to be unduly sympathetic to insurers, it remains a concern to all consumers because policy premiums are simply increased to pay for the costs of fraud, which hits everybody.

In this month alone we've seen a couple of different stories come up on this. On the one hand, is the frightening statistic that police are now seizing 460 uninsured vehicles per day. That's well over 150,000 vehicles per year. And the figure appears to be increasing because some people think they can no longer afford their car insurance, and so drive without any protection. Which is mad when you think of the possible costs and impact on work of having your car towed away.

On the other hand, a general escalation of insurance fraud, not least among car insurance claims. It seems that drivers are either trying not to pay on their insurance, or else trying to play it to pay for other costs.

It's important to realise that car insurance isn't a luxury - it's a necessity, and for protecting the driver's interests at that.

While most accidents in the UK are not fatal, there are still more than 8 deaths on the road each day. And even seemingly minor injuries such as whiplash are renown for the potential to develop into a more debilitating medical condition.

In either instance of injury or death in a car accident, the insurance isn't going to heal wounds or resurrect - but at least it can pay for costs, for repairing or replacing the vehicle, paying for extra medical expenses, and many have a built in death policy which can help protect income and inheritance for dependents.

In the meantime, I'm currently running a car insurance policy with Nationwide, but I'm very close to being eligible for the over-50 discounts with Saga. As I've iterated before, though, don't try and save money trying to get the cheapest car insurance, but instead look for one that gives you all the cover you need.

After all, where's the point of saving a few pounds, if in the event of a claim, it can cost you a lot more in expenses, lost time, and lost income, by having the wrong policy?