Since the UK has been hit by bad weather, the AA handled 100 claims for snow and ice-related crashes by December 19th. Most of these accidents were tail-end shunts, collisions on bends, junctions and roundabouts.

Claims were also made for damage caused to parked cars, flying ice, vehicles falling into ditches and collisions with objects on the roadside.

A spokesman for AA said, “Perhaps the unluckiest customer of all was a gentleman who decided not to risk driving in the snow, but called a taxi instead. Safely in the back seat the taxi driver set off but immediately lost control. To the gentleman’s horror, it skidded – and crashed into his own car.”

RAC patrol ambassador of the year, Prakesh Patel, last week warned drivers to take particular care on the roads during December. “As the cold weather sets in, driving conditions are set to become even more dangerous, so car owners need to ensure their vehicle is maintained to a high standard,” he said.

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It has been reported that almost half of all car owners have cut corners in the past year on repairs and maintenance of their vehicles.

Post Office Insurance states 28 per cent have slashed costs to the extent that they could be putting their safety and that of others at risk on the roads.

About 29 per cent of car owners say that in the past 12 months they have put off servicing their car and this figure is at 40 per cent among the under 30 people.

A survey revealed that one in five said they asked a friend to fix any problems, fixed it themselves or simply did nothing to address the issue.

The head of car insurance at Post Office, Richard Pennant-Jones said that while the recession is “causing us all to watch our budgets more closely, “car safety is one area where cutting corners “could cost you more than you bargained for. Failing to maintain your car could even result in it being deemed un-roadworthy and therefore invalidate your insurance,” he said.

Mike Pickard, head of risk and underwriting at Esure Car Insurance, warned last month that many motorists were taking risks by failing to take out breakdown cover policies.

According to Saga Motor Insurance, drivers should always check the weather forecast before heading out in their cars.

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If you?re looking to be changing your insurance soon, you might want to check out the new range of deals from Sainsbury?s which are trying to tempt customers by offering a rather eye catching 2 months free insurance for the year.

Under the scheme, drivers will be able to get 12 months of cover from the company but only have to pay for 10 months, providing they sign up with Sainsbury?s Car Insurance by August 31st.

And like many insurance companies, Sainsbury?s are also offering a discount online. By ordering your insurance on the net you?ll save another 10% of the overall price, which can be a large amount of money if you have a big premium.

The offer also covers cars from vandalism and offers to replace damaged child seats. This comes after news from the company last week that warned over a million drivers had had an accident during the school run over the last five years, and urged parents to make sure to check they have the correct type of seating installed.

Manager of Sainsbury?s Car Insurance, Joanne Mallon stated: ?Car insurance premiums can vary hugely so we always encourage customers to shop around for the best price and cover. Taking advantage of our two months’ free cover is a great way of further cutting down the cost of motoring?

As always, remember the read the small print and make sure your insurance covers everything you need it to. Check out insurance comparison websites to make sure you are finding the best deal available and above all ? don?t forget to do your research.

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Car Insurance is in important part of everyday life for many people in Britain and one that can often end up being a large financial drain, especially for new and young drivers. However, while using internet comparison sites to find the cheapest insurance deals is now common amongst consumers, few are willing to cut cover to save money.

The research was produced by Datamonitor, and shows that only 5% of motorists would even consider switching to third party only cover in order to save money. A larger but still very low 13% said they would want to save money by reducing the total insured amounts or increasing the excess they would have to pay in the result of an accident.

If Brits aren?t thinking about cutting corners with their insurance then they are trying to make savings in other ways. Only 9% of people surveyed said that they allow their cover to rollover and nearly half said they shop around for better quotes. Indeed, over a third of drivers use price comparison websites during their search, compared to only 23% of people who use them for other forms of insurance, such as business and content.
Datamonitor?s principal consultant for financial services, Liz Hartley said: ?”This is reflective of the open and competitive insurance market that exists in the UK generally. It is a buyers’ market and, as such, consumers do not believe that they need to compromise when negotiating their insurance policies; indeed, there is almost an expectation of ‘more for less’ each year.”

Ms Hartley went on to add that the high cost of insurance is also an element that most leads consumers to spend so much time searching for new deals. She also called for car insurance companies to focus on benefits and extras ? rather than the purely on price ? if they want to keep their customers.

Consumers should be aware of any extras that come with the insurance, but it?s wise not to get drawn in by benefits that will never really apply to you. Also watch out for deals like no claims discounts that can bring your quote down by a large amount only to have it shoot back up again, even when an accident occurs that was not your fault.

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Aviva (formally known as Norwich Union) have suggested to fleet drivers that getting as much information as possible about driving accidents shortly after they occur can speed up the often lengthy process of insurance claims.

Currently, the minimum legal requirement during an accident is to exchange names and contact details, but Aviva suggest that drivers can do much more at the scene. Technical Motor Claims manager at Aviva, Martin Smith said: ?Capturing the right information at the scene will enable their insurers to determine responsibility quicker and reduce the length of the claim for all parties.?

Smith did Acknowledge that even small accidents can still lead to distress for many drivers but urged them to make intelligent decisions after the accident: ?Make sure [the insurance company] have a record of contact details of all people involved in, or who witnessed, the incident. Note the make, model and registration number of all vehicles involved as well as the extent of the damage to the vehicles, such as whether they are still drivable. This will help in dealing effectively with the other driver and their insurers.?

Smith even suggested that using mobile phones to take pictures of damages caused at the scene would be useful to insurers. He warned that insurers are likely to see more and more fraudulent claims in the near future as the economy remains in recession. He highlighted the problem of people staging accidents, suggesting that notes be taken of anyone with physical injuries or similar complaints to their health.

Smith had one parting message for drivers ? to get the information in as quickly as possible: ?Finally, having captured all this useful information, fleet drivers need to ensure they pass it on and report accidents as soon as possible to their insurers.?

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