The Importance of Insuring Your Car
Advertorial Feature
No-one likes paying for car insurance. In most cases, it's never needed or used, and when the renewal notice drops on the doormat each year it's like being sent a bill for something you won't see the benefit of.
But it's far better to have car insurance and not need it, than to need car insurance and not have it! It's also a legal requirement in the UK to either have car insurance (even if you're not driving your car) or to declare your car as off the road (with a SORN – statutory off road notification – declaration). If you don't insure your car, make a SORN declaration or make a false SORN declaration (that is, you drive your car without insurance and have declared that you're not using your car) then there are hefty penalties in place as to do any of these is a criminal offence.
There are three main reasons for taking out car insurance:
1. You might crash or have your car stolen. You'll need a pay-out from your insurance to buy a new car or repair yours (if you have fully-comprehensive cover);
2. You might damage someone else's car or injure someone in a car accident. If you don't have car insurance, that person can sue you for their damages and you could end up losing your savings and even your home – and you'll end up with a County Court Judgement against your name if you don't pay, so your credit history will be affected;
3. Plus, as mentioned, it's a criminal offence to have no car insurance in place so you'd face criminal proceedings, too.
It's actually for the second reason that car insurance companies give such high quotes. As people become more aware of their 'right' to compensation through wide advertisement of 'no-win, no-fee' compensation specialist solicitors, more people are likely to seek money for their injuries as well as to fix their cars. In a car accident, there's normally one person at fault and that person's insurers have to pay out for the injuries suffered by the other person.
The cost of repairing cars is also increasing as cars become more advanced. Many of the safety features of a modern car, centre around having bodies that crumple on impact, taking the brunt of the force of the accident into the car's body, rather than allowing it to pass to the occupants of the car. That bodywork is expensive to repair, and if internal damage is inflicted too there is often a lot of cost involved in replacing computer and electrical systems as well as mechanical parts.
Another reason that the cost of insurance is so high for the majority of people who insure their cars is that there is a significant minority of drivers who do not insure their cars. If one of them happens to run into your car, then they won't be able to pay (you can try to sue them if you can find them, but chances are they'll have no money or assets) so you'll look to your car insurance to pay to repair or replace your car.
So yes, car insurance is expensive. But shopping round for competitive car insurance quotes is one of those things that you just have to put up with if you want the peace of mind that comes with knowing that you're covered if the worst should happen.
Enter the body text part 2 here.
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Weather for Batley
Thursday 23 May 2013
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