5 ways you could be accidentally invalidating your insurance

If pressed, lots of drivers will admit that they can be a little lax with speed limits sometimes, especially on the motorway. Apart from that though, most of us like to think of ourselves as quite safe and careful drivers. However, even if you’re scrupulous about the way you drive, there are a number of ways you could still be unintentionally invalidating your insurance. As we’ll discuss, while driving safely is obviously hugely important, paperwork is a vital consideration too!

Modifying your car

Car modifications are more common than some people think, especially since not every car modification takes the form of blue headlines or a roaring exhaust. In just over a third of cases, owners have spent more than £500 improving or customising their vehicles. However, not everyone who does this remembers (or decides) to inform their insurer, which can have big consequences for their policy further down the line. In a nutshell, insurers tend to regard certain kinds of car modifications with some amount of unease, as they can have an effect on the safety and reliability of the vehicle – ultimately increasing the risk of a crash. That means if – for whatever reason – you neglect to inform your insurance provider of any car modifications you make, they may well decide to make drastic changes to your policy, or even cancel it altogether. It’s not a particularly secret clause either – it will all be covered in your terms and conditions!

“Fronting”

This is one in particular that lots of parents tend to fall afoul of. It’s probably no surprise for most people to find out that insurers tend to view younger and more inexperienced drivers as presenting a higher risk, which generally means they have to start out by paying higher insurance premiums. To take the edge off, older and more experienced drivers often sign the paperwork, even if they won’t be the ones driving. While this seems like a nice favour that can save a few pounds, it’s actually got a name – it’s called fronting, and it’s highly illegal. Basically as far as the insurer is concerned, it’s a form of fraud, which means it can result in the immediate termination of your policy.

Failing to update your address

Your location is another influential factor in the level of risk for your insurer. For example, premiums may be higher for drivers living in big cities rather than rural areas, partially due to increased population densities. Whatever the case though, it’s always worth taking the time to double check your car is registered at the address where it will spend most of its time. If you’ve moved without telling your insurer, they could view it as a form of deception (deliberate or not), even if you think it shouldn’t matter. Once again, it’s worth taking the time to double check!

Failing to report accidents and collisions

This is another key one, and it’s a point that trips up a lot of drivers. Basically, whenever you’re involved in an accident, you’ll need to notify your insurer within 24 hours. This is true even if none of the drivers involved are planning on making a claim, or even if there were no other drivers involved at all. If you’ve just knocked your car against a wall, it might be especially tempting not to mention it to your insurer, but trust us – it’s not worth the risk. If in doubt, always let them know just in case. (And contrary to what some people think, minor collisions might not necessarily involve an automatic rise in your premiums.)

Using your phone (even if it’s in a cradle)

All drivers know it’s illegal to talk on our phones, but unfortunately there are still those who do it. UK law has been closing a lot of loopholes in the last few years though, and it’s now illegal to even touch your phone while driving, whether or not you’re talking on it. If you’re trying to find a destination and using your phone as a satnav, the official position is that you should determine your destination before you set off, and if you need to make adjustments you should pull over to do so. As you’d expect, being caught incurs some stiff penalties, with fines running into the hundreds of pounds. Repeat offenders can even find their insurance revoked completely, which can obviously be problematic later down the line. Here at Car Communications, we offer a wide range of products to help you stay safely connected on the roads, helping you avoid the temptation to use your phone while driving. (We’ll leave the paperwork down to you, though!) You can shop our wide range of Bluetooth handsfree car kits right here, or simply give us a call on 01254 694 537 to speak with one of our friendly experts.