Front or Rear Parking Sensor's, Reversing Cameras

irri_tant

These are now becoming common place on modern cars or after market add on's.

Did you know they put the price of your insurance up!!!!

Reason Admiral tell me is that we rely on them to park and don't look out of the windows / mirrors. So they may save you having a bump whilst parking but your going to pay for it in your premiums.

notanewuser

irri_tant wrote: »

These are now becoming common place on modern cars or after market add on's.

Did you know they put the price of your insurance up!!!!

Reason Admiral tell me is that we rely on them to park and don't look out of the windows / mirrors. So they may save you having a bump whilst parking but your going to pay for it in your premiums.

I completely agree with them.

I find that passengers in the car watch my reversing camera (couldn't not have it on my car unfortunately) while my head is pointing in the direction I'm driving.

If you came to rely on using such things, I daresay it would make it harder if you had to drive a car without them, increasing the risk of you having/causing an accident.

FiremanDave

notanewuser wrote: »

I completely agree with them.

I find that passengers in the car watch my reversing camera (couldn't not have it on my car unfortunately) while my head is pointing in the direction I'm driving.

If you came to rely on using such things, I daresay it would make it harder if you had to drive a car without them, increasing the risk of you having/causing an accident.

But the insurance company aren't basing the risk on that.

Tilt

irri_tant wrote: »

These are now becoming common place on modern cars or after market add on's.

Did you know they put the price of your insurance up!!!!

Reason Admiral tell me is that we rely on them to park and don't look out of the windows / mirrors. So they may save you having a bump whilst parking but your going to pay for it in your premiums.

I have them on my Alfa 159 (parking sensors) which is the first car i've had with them on. Never really needed them but they are useful. AFAIK it dosn't make any difference to my insurance premium and I've not been asked if the car has them so I reckon it's a load of tosh.

But then again i'm not insured with Admiral and would never (again) will be.

notanewuser

FiremanDave wrote: »

But the insurance company aren't basing the risk on that.

How do you know?

FiremanDave

notanewuser wrote: »

How do you know?

Because the car has the aids and the risk they quote for is having them fitted. If they were to drive a car wihhout that's an entirely different risk is it not?

OddballJamie

It's based on statistics so one or both of the following is happening.

Cars with them fitted are having more bumps.

Cars with them fitted are costing more to repair due to the extra parts.

The ones I have are fairly useful in that the distance display is mounted in the roof above the boot door, so you either have to be using the mirror or turn your head to see it.

Kingsd316

Im with Admiral and have never been asked about parking sensors (Standard on my car). Currently only paying £240 for my insurance so cant see them effecting my premium

sh0597

It used to be the case that they brought premiums down. Logic being than they showed somebody had an interest in safety and were more commonly fitted by women drivers who are a lower risk generally but now no longer able to be targeted directly.


Any insurer that tries to tell you a reason why something increases a premium other than statistics is just making it up.


I wouldn't mind a rear parking camera, they are useful for manoeuvring and checking your blind spot.

irri_tant

The reason it came to light for me was we installed them on the son's car we got him for his 18th birthday. As they were not factory fitted but done in the dealership they are classed as a modification.

So on new cars with them fitted as standard then would expect the premiums to be loaded to reflect this.

Strider590

irri_tant wrote: »

The reason it came to light for me was we installed them on the son's car we got him for his 18th birthday. As they were not factory fitted but done in the dealership they are classed as a modification.

So on new cars with them fitted as standard then would expect the premiums to be loaded to reflect this.

No, it's a modification to a young drivers car. THAT is why it's costing more.
What the modification is, is entirely irrelevant. Once a young driver has been considered to modify their car (in a way that could compromise structural integrity, ie cutting holes in the bumper), they get lumped in with the "boy racer" crowd.

Additionally, I see them all the time and fitting them as an after market add on, just screams to me that the driver is incompetent. If I can reverse park a 4.8m long car using only the mirrors (the rear window is like a post box), then I don't see why other people need such driver aids on tiny little hatchbacks.

I seem to recall seeing quite a few such cars with large bollard shaped dents in the rear, so it could also be that these systems have "caused" (because nobody ever admits it was their fault) parking collisions in situations where the system is not effective for certain objects.