Hit and run victim 25 September 2020 at 1:46PM in Campaigns corner 4 replies 354 views

pitpopsy

Is there  a campaign lobby insurance companies about their treatment of  victims of hit-and-run drivers?  My stationary car, parked outside my house,  was badly damaged by a hit-and-run driver.  There were several witnesses but no-one got the number.  My insurance company paid for the repairs but would not register a no-fault claim as they were unable to recover their costs.  I am seriously out of pocket as a result:  1.  I have lost my no-claims bonus. 2.  My insurance premium on both my cars has increased. 3. My partner's car insurance has also increased as I am a named driver on his policy.  The insurance industry needs to look at this - driving off without stopping after an accident is illegal.  

Browntoa

What can your insurance company do without proof of 3rd party details ? 

You are liable sadly as they are unable to recover the costs

JJ_Egan

OP their is no campaign so you will have to start one .

Though my Insurance does cover me in such a situation and many let you cover this and cover no claims .

So might have bought the wrong cover .

If hit and run is covered as you want it will just mean a 20% rise in the cost of every insurance policy .

missile

I installed dash cams front and rear with parking mode. Saved my excess & NCD when it recorded a "lady" who crashed into my car, got out took a photo then drove away. As luck would have it she was also insured with Direct Line.

Sandtree

Insurance is ultimately a closed system, if you want claims be based on blame rather than “fault” (in reality a measure of if the insurer recovers their outlay) then thats fine but that means for the majority of people their premiums will go up.

Right now it makes no difference to the majority of insurers if you mess up your parking and hit a bollard or if someone else messes up their parking and hits your car then leaves without giving their details... if you changed that such that one of these events is now a negative claim and the other is a neutral claim what do you think will happen to the ratio of bollards -v- hit and runs?

Not only that but the volume of claims will also go up as people now dont claim for minor damage caused in a hit and run because they know the impact on premiums will be greater than the repair costs whereas remove the majority of the premium loading and you open up the claims. A former piece of work I did was to introduce how vandalism claims were handled in terms of excess, NCD, premium loading etc and in the 6 months after making the changes there was an increase of 40% in the number of claims being made. Those extra claims have to be funded by extra premiums but as the marketing message stood that was an extra premium from everyone not just those making the claims.