Will car insurance hikes lead to more hit-and-runs?
12.04.2024 - 07:31
/ dailyrecord.co.uk
Last year, Scots saw car insurance premiums hit record highs with market experts estimating an average 58% price increase, with around 25,000 people across the UK also having been injured by a driver who either didn’t have insurance or couldn’t be traced.
Will record premiums encourage people to bend the truth (or lie) for cheaper deals that don’t cover their driving? Or will it encourage people to not get insurance at all and flee the scene?
Gordon Dalyell, partner at Digby Brown, discusses how insurance hikes could impact public safety:
"Across the UK everyone has seen hikes on motor insurance premiums that seem unfair.
"Since 2012, the insurance industry lobbied the UK government claiming rising costs were down to a rise in phony whiplash claims. Numerous reforms were introduced over the last decade, culminating in a new digital portal - the Official Injury Claims (OIC) system - designed to clamp down on fraud, and deal with claims worth £5k or less, more efficiently.
"The OIC was introduced in 2021 - in that time, low value claims took longer to resolve. Current figures show over 370,000 claims (56% of all claims) are awaiting resolution. But have motorists seen their premiums go down? No. Premiums have risen by 83%, according to the Office of National Statistics.
"In January this year, price comparison site Confused.com revealed the average car insurance policy now costs £995- that’s 58% more than the year before. At the same time, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) claimedthe rise in motor insurance was only 25%. The ABI also said the rise was down to repair costs, increased thefts, replacement vehicles and write-offs.
"Many people are understandably asking how this can be fair. Well, to those already battling a