Posts filed under 'research'
Reckless drivers who misuse their fog lights caused over 300,000 car accidents in 2011, according recent research by car insurance provider swiftcover.com.
With 1 in 10 motorists admitting to using high intensity lights when visibility is normal, and two million ‘near misses’ caused in the same period, there is clearly a problem with the misuse of fog lights and it seems to be taking its toll on the safety of Britain’s roads.
In a surprising discovery 14% percent of drivers said they over use their fog lights simply “because they look good”. This reasoning seems to come from predominantly younger drivers with 22% of 18-34 year olds who admit to misusing fog lights saying coolness was the motivation.
London drivers seem to be the main culprits as Swiftcover reported more accidents caused by use the of fog lights in the capital than any other region. 50% of these reported they had been dazzled by another drivers fog lights and gone on to make a claim.
“Young drivers trying to look ‘cool’ by using their fog lights at all times are recklessly and thoughtlessly endangering other motorists”, commented Robin Reames, chief claims officer at swiftcover.com. “Fog lights are designed for a very specific purpose – helping drivers to see and be seen when visibility is severely reduced. Misusing these lights has the effect of dazzling and distracting other motorists and causes a staggering number of crashes, as evidenced by our research. If you can see further than 100m (roughly the length of a football pitch) then your fog lights should remain off, and if they are not then you are breaking the law and could face a £30 fixed penalty notice.”
January 27th, 2012
You may think that a multi- car insurance policy will save you money. But that’s not always true according to recent research from swiftcover.com.
Swiftcover found that buying a multi-car policy could cost as much as 29 per cent more than if separate policies were bought.
Sarah Vaughan, motor director at swiftcover.com said:
It’s easy to assume that multi-car discounts must offer the best value, but it’s clearly not the case for everyone. It may be slightly easier but is it really worth paying hundreds of pounds over the odds?
In some cases a multi-car policy may be the cheapest option but it’s always worth shopping around to make sure you get the best deal.
April 21st, 2011
People lying about their claims history when buying insurance costs up to £1 million each year in lost premiums, and many of those who lie will go on and attempt to make fraudulent claims. The unfairness of it all is that law abiding drivers are the ones who end up paying higher premiums to subsidise people who lie.
But swiftcover.com is now using a new system which will automatically check the claims history of motor insurance applicants. The system will be able to compare the claims disclosed with a database holding the details of 22 million drivers, so if the amount of claims disclosed does not match the details on the database then they will be asked to check that their application is correct.
Steve Gaywood, swiftcover.com’s Counter Fraud and Compliance Manager, explained
“It is not fair that safe, law-abiding drivers should pay higher premiums to subsidise people who lie about their previous claims to get cheaper insurance. swiftcover.com’s new check will help us identify people that have not fully disclosed their claims history and ensure that they are charged the appropriate price for their insurance.”
This new system will help keep insurance costs lower for drivers who are open and truthful about their claims history.
October 4th, 2010
Adventurous holidays are becoming more popular according to research done by swiftcover.com. They found that when it comes to extreme holidays 23% of people would go white-water rafting, 17% would like to drive a fast car around a race track and 16% would do a parachute jump. There is a definite shift in holiday habits, and while luxury holidays are still very popular, more people are choosing something more exotic and adventurous. However dream holidays such as these do come at a price. Some people choose to save for their dream holidays which could take years, some will pay on their credit cards and 4% of people say they would marry a rich man or women!
Roman Bryl, Travel Underwriting Manager for swiftcover.com, says:
If people are venturing farther afield they do need to make sure they have the right travel insurance that covers them for more exotic destinations beyond Europe and provides adequate cover for things like medical emergencies, which can be very expensive. Backpackers should consider insurance such as swiftcover.com’s Gap policy, which is specially designed for their needs.
July 27th, 2010
Recent research by swiftcover.com found that 40% of people would choose to drive route 66 as their dream holiday driving experience, making it the most popular motoring experience among UK drivers. The route, which is 2,500 miles, starts in Chicago on the East Coast and runs through a number of states before ending in Los Angeles.
The research also found that:
40% of people would choose to drive Route 66 as their dream driving adventure
14% of people would love to drive a supercar like a Ferrari or Lamborghini
14% would like to have a 4×4 off-road adventure
8% would choose to drive the winding mountain roads of Switzerland or Italy
So why not live your driving dreams this summer! Just make sure you use a reputable experience provider such as Red Letter Days.
July 2nd, 2010
More than 6 years has passed since the ban of using mobile phones whilst driving and if caught using a mobile phone you could have to pay a fine of up to £60 and get three penalty points, but this doesn’t seem to be stopping the distraction of mobile phones. A recent survey by Autoglass found:
More than half of drivers say that texting whilst driving is the biggest distraction for motorists.
71% admit that it is easy to become distracted at the wheel.
2 out of 10 people admit they have had an accident or momentarily lost focus while on the road.
Other distractions which made it on the list were eating and drinking, singing along to the radio, checking hair and make up, sneezing, lighting a cigarette and staring at an accident.
For tips on how to minimize distractions at the wheel visit
www.autoglassnews.co.uk
June 21st, 2010
Recent research from swiftcover.com found that 80% of drivers want the new government to cut tax on petrol, improve congestion and help the environment, however not many believe that any of the parties will make a positive difference for drivers. Here are a few interesting statistics which they found:
• 50% of drivers don’t know which party would be best
• 11% of drivers believe a Conservative Government would be best for motorists
• 6% say a Labour Government would be best
• 3% feel the Liberal Democrats would be best for drivers
• 2% say the Green Party would be best
The survey also showed how strongly drivers feel about change:
• 80% of drivers want the tax on petrol cut
• 43% want a reduction in road tax
• 61% want the government to get tougher on uninsured drivers
• 43% want greater action to punish dangerous drivers
Hopefully the new government will start to take more interest in motorists concerns and start taking positive action for drivers.
May 7th, 2010
Katie price, PM Gordon Brown and Tiger woods were all voted as the biggest suckers of 2009 whilst the iphone, facebook and DJ Sir Terry Wogan rocked the most.
The recent poll carried out by swiftcover.com found that eight out of ten people thought that Katie price sucked in 2009. Tiger Woods didn’t prove very popular either, especially amongst women as 78% of women said he sucked compared to just 57% of all men. In politics, 62% of people said that Gordon Brown sucked the most compared with 38% who voted for David Cameron.
Technology seemed to rock the most and with the iphone becoming increasingly popular it is no surprise that 68% said that it rocked, compared to 34% who said the blackberry. The poll also revealed that more people prefer to use facebook rather than twitter.
February 15th, 2010
After spending a fortune on a brand new car, it is frustrating knowing that as soon as you drive it away from the car dealership it loses value. You may be interested in a recent report from Parkers which named and shamed the cars which depreciate the most. Surprisingly the more luxurious cars such as a Rolls-Royce and Maybach were found to depreciate the most; you could lose up to £127,526 over a year- Is it really worth it?
If you are looking for a car that depreciates slowly then the Honda Jazz may be the car for you, as it topped the list for the top 10 performers of 2009, depreciating only £1379 over the year. Other good buys are the Fiat 500 (08 on) or the SEAT Ibiza. If you don’t want to lose so much money it seems the smaller cars are the ones to go for as they took up 35 of the 40 top places.
The figures were calculated by comparing the estimated market value of 10,000-mile car, which was bought new 12 months earlier, against its list price new. Here is a full list of the findings:
Top 10 performers:
1 Honda Jazz (08 on) - £1,379
2 Fiat 500 (08 on) - £1,460
3 SEAT Ibiza (08 on) - £1,552
4 Hyundai i10 (08 on) - £1,650
5 Mazda2 (07 on) - £1,702
6 Kia Picanto (04 on) - £1,760
7 VW Fox (06 on) - £1,781
8 Suzuki Swift (05 on) - £1,900
9 Toyota Aygo (05 on) - £2,148
10 Mitsubishi i (07 on) - £2,271
Bottom 10 performers:
1 Maybach 62 (03 on) - £127,526
2 Maybach 57 (03 on) - £115,253
3 Rolls-Royce Phantom (03 on) - £81,183
4 Bentley Arnage (98 on) - £66,040
5 Ferrari 612 Scaglietti (05 on) - £51,627
6 Mercedes-Benz SL AMG (02 on) - £51,381
7 Bentley Continental Flying Spur (05 on) - £47,080
8 Aston Martin DBS (08 on) - £41,347
9 Bentley Continental GT Coupé - £40,110
10 Ferrari F430 (05 on) - £37,188
January 29th, 2010
Research was taken out by car insurance company swiftcover.com, to see how many motorists knew what their motor insurance policies included and what exactly they were covered for. The research returned provided some interesting results.
Facts showed that 17% of car insurance customers admitted to never reading their policies, and diving straight in at the deep end. Online car insurance provider swiftcover.com try to solve this issue by providing motorists with useful, broken down information on every little aspect or term that is involved in a policy document.
The first ever online car insurance jargon buster which helps people who are looking for a car insurance quote was produced by swiftcover.com, and helps motorists understand terms from car modifications to voluntary excess, in fact 23% of car owners had no idea what voluntary excess actually meant. Some other facts included; 51% do not know that ‘material fact’ is the information that you give to your insurer that could affect your insurance policy, such as having points on your licence.
Swiftcover’s car insurance jargon buster proved to have helped 46% of motorists, providing them with more detailed information, helping them understand what they are buying and how to receive cheaper car insurance quotes.
Read more information on what car insurance customers were puzzled about when it came to understanding car insurance.
November 27th, 2009
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