Tips to prevent your car insurance rising after winter
Duck2water Car Insurance warns of a rise in car insurance for many drivers following announcements by the Meteorological Office that the UK is facing the coldest winter in 10 years. If drivers are not prepared for the cold weather, it could cause thousands of accidents.
The likelihood of skidding increases by 5 times in cold conditions, and there are over 6000 more car accidents in winter months compared to the summer. In many accidents where vehicle damage is caused, a claim will be made to the car insurance company of the person at fault, causing higher premiums for that driver next year.
Duck2water Car Insurance has put together 5 tips to help prevent accidents when driving in bad conditions:
- Be prepared for the worst. Take some food, a blanket, a torch, sensible shoes or boots, a first aid kit, a mobile phone (fully charged), and a shovel.
- Make sure the car is prepared for the worst. Ensure the windscreen wipers, fog lights and all other lights are working, and that there is antifreeze in the screen wash. Make sure that the tyres have good tread and are undamaged, and buy winter tyres for maximum safety.
- Have good visibility. Clear all the ice off your windows and demist them before starting off because it is a criminal offence to drive with restricted vision and is punishable by a £1000 fine. In times of poor visibility it is important to ensure the car is visible to other road users and other road users can see the vehicle, so put on the headlights, and fog lights as well if visibility is less than 100 metres.
- Stay in control. Skidding is the cause of 48% of car accidents on UK roads and is a main reason that car accidents increase by 267% on wet roads. Avoid accelerating and braking hard, and be careful of black ice remaining where shadows are cast upon the road. It can take 10 times as long to stop on ice compared to normal conditions, so do not follow the car in front closely.
- If there is an accident or the car breaks down, call for assistance on a mobile phone if possible, and put a warning triangle up so that other drivers are aware of the obstruction.
Rebecca Pearson of www.duck2watercarinsurance.co.uk said:
“We find that the number of people making claims on their car insurance rises at the end of October and the higher figures last right through the winter until March. 65% of the insurance claims we see in winter are for relatively minor car accidents that have been caused through skidding.
It is important for people to think about the weather before they go out in the car so that they can prepare and don’t get caught unawares in poor conditions.”