Named driver claiming on my insurance policy

bd85

My sister hit the back of a taxi driver in traffic in my car last week. By the sounds of it she was going about 10mph and there was minor damage to both bumpers (about €1k total). The taxi driver however started complaining of severe neck pain/ couldn't feel his legs etc. When the guards arrived they agreed with my sister that this was a con job but because of health and safety and the fact he was complaining of spinal damage they called the fire brigade and they ended up cutting the roof off his car and removing him in his seat.

I moved to the UK recently- there was a few months left on my policy with my sister as a named driver and I decided to keep it in place until renewal time (bad idea in hindsight!). How will this affect my insurance premium if I was to get a car in the UK or in Ireland if I moved back in the next few years? Will insurance companies take into account my 3 years previous no claims record and the fact that the claim on my policy was the result of an accident of a named driver? Or in the long run will it cost me the same as if the accident had been my own fault?

The frustrating thing is that my sister would have paid for the repair bill herself but she'll need to claim as this will end up costing the cost of replacing the taxi (a 07 Passat) and whatever compo the taxi driver is going to get. Btw the guards called my sister the next day to say he was released from Vincent's hospital an hour after he was admitted...

Kimbot

Personally I would report him for insurance fraud. If he was let out of hospital within an hour then there was nothing wrong with him at all.

Big Nasty

jonny24ie wrote: »

Personally I would report him for insurance fraud. If he was let out of hospital within an hour then there was nothing wrong with him at all.

+1 - although that's going to be hard to prove.

In relation to your NCB it's null and void after three years anyhow.

bd85

Agreed- the guards have passed this info on to the insurance company who have told me they will take a very hard line with him if he pursues a personal injuries claim. He is probably within his rights to claim for a replacement car however even though there was absolutely no need to cut him out of the car.

To get back to my original question- does it matter that a named driver casued the damage? If I was to take out a new policy on a different car (without the sister as named driver and probably with a different insurance company), will the premium be as high as if I had caused the accident myself? I'm thinking it would be unfair if it was since the claim does not mean that I am a risky driver.... if that makes sense.

RGS

From reading your post there is one major problem with the issues raised.

The named driver has principal use of the vehicle and is therefore not strictly a named driver and would be deemed the main driver by the insurance company and this could cause problems with indemnity.

You and your sister should have cancelled the policy and taken out another policy with your sister as the policyholder.

Big Nasty

RGS wrote: »

From reading your post there is one major problem with the issues raised.

The named driver has principal use of the vehicle and is therefore not strictly a named driver and would be deemed the main driver by the insurance company and this could cause problems with indemnity.

You and your sister should have cancelled the policy and taken out another policy with your sister as the policyholder.

Scaremongering much?

Who's to say she was the main driver? She was named on the policy and has an accident so was covered. If the OP had insured the car for a year and named his sister, not cancelling it for the last three months he would have been the main driver of the car for the previous nine months, i.e. 75% of the duration of the policy which I'm sure is more than acceptable.

RGS

MCMLXXV wrote: »

Scaremongering much?

Who's to say she was the main driver? She was named on the policy and has an accident so was covered. If the OP had insured the car for a year and named his sister, not cancelling it for the last three months he would have been the main driver of the car for the previous nine months, i.e. 75% of the duration of the policy which I'm sure is more than acceptable.

But hes not the main driver his sister is.

bd85

RGS- cheers but I'm not looking for a lecture on why I should have changed the policyholder!

MCM- any thought on whether this will cost me if I take a policy out for just myself with a new insurance provider?

samhail

MCMLXXV wrote: »

+1 - although that's going to be hard to prove.

In relation to your NCB it's null and void after three years anyhow.

quick correction on this... after 2 years they void any NCB that you have had.
i found out the hard way but luckily i was close enough to keep the NCB... would have cost me about 6k over the next 5 years if i lost my NCB

RGS

bd85 wrote: »

RGS- cheers but I'm not looking for a lecture on why I should have changed the policyholder!

Its not a lecture is a statement of fact--named drivers cannot be the principal driver and it can cause indemnity issues. Insurers can null the policy and seek recovery from the named driver if they are required to compensate accident victims.

Gary ITR

RGS wrote: »

Its not a lecture is a statement of fact--named drivers cannot be the principal driver and it can cause indemnity issues. Insurers can null the policy and seek recovery from the named driver if they are required to compensate accident victims.

It's not fact, it's horseplop now if you've nothing more to add to this thread stay out of it. This subject has been done to death here already

RGS

go **** yourself.

sesna

bd85 wrote: »

When the guards arrived they agreed with my sister that this was a con job but because of health and safety and the fact he was complaining of spinal damage they called the fire brigade and they ended up cutting the roof off his car and removing him in his seat.

Sounds like our taxi driver needs to improve his diet if hes sitting on his ass all day and cant get out the door of his own car.

Gary ITR

RGS wrote: »

go **** yourself.

I'm not long back from my run, do you mind if I shower first?

In the meantime you can have a permanent ban from motors