Technology is not always right is the message being sent out by car insurance companies such as Direct Line, suggesting drivers should not take the advice of the system blindly.
There have been many occasions when drivers have followed the route given to them by a sat-nav system only to find themselves heading down narrow farm tracks and through deep water. They carry on regardless though feeling that the satellite navigation system cannot be wrong. A big mistake say Direct Line since they have seen an increase in claims because of situations just like these.
If the situation continues then car insurance premiums are sure to rise, a scenario no one wants to see. Direct Line and other car insurance providers have to increase the premiums because of the extra costs they face so it is down to the drivers to make sure they use sat nav as an aid, trusting their own driving knowledge first and foremost.
Hastings Direct has been fined GBP735,000 by the FSA (Financial Services Authority) for treating its customers unfairly. The car insurance company was found to have cancelled over 4,500 policies following a pricing error.
The problem was caused by the Hastings Direct car insurance quotation system, which generated quotes that were lower than the market rate. The insurer then decided to cancel these policies, a step that was not acceptable according to the FSA.
Although a cancellation clause was included within the policies the FSA felt that Hastings Direct should have considered other options first rather than invoking the cancellations. They believe that it is not acceptable to cancel cover because of what is simply a pricing error.
According to Diamond Insurance, the women only car insurance company, teaching assistants from Perth in Scotland are the safest drivers in the country.
The insurer looked at their own information as well as more general industry details to determine the safest occupations statistically, with these Scottish teaching assistants topping the table. Female accountants and secretaries also fared well in the survey, whilst for men the safest drivers were those with a policing background, computer programming and engineering. A spokesperson from Diamond Insurance noted that it was reassuring to know that the people tasked with protecting us are also safe drivers.
On the other side of the coin, the female drivers most likely to have an accident were hairdressers, with their chances of making a claim almost twenty percent higher than anyone else. Diamond Insurance welcome enquiries from any industry, confident that they will provide a very competitive quote.
