Beware!
These are very desperate financial times, and that is apparently leading some people to take desperate action to get their hands on money. James Foxall, Car Contributor to MSN writes that the percentage of fraudulent claims that insurers are receiving have increased by over 70%. He noted specifically ten forms of claims, some of which involve innocent other drivers. There are some things that we can do so as not to cooperate with the scam artists, but fundamentally, to be forewarned is to be forearmed.
Principally, the things that we can do is to drive carefully, free of impairments and with due attention to what other traffic is doing around us. Keeping one’s distance from the car in front means that if he intends to stop sharply forcing you to slam into him, by keeping a safe distance you will frustrate his endeavours. The reason he wants you to slam into him is that he can claim for whiplash damages, even although he may not have such an injury.
Beware of other drivers signalling you to move into their lane. Normally, the other driver will drop back allowing you to go ahead. However, in the case of the intentional collision he will not slow down, and then claim it’s your fault and deny that he gave you any such signal.
Other scams, such as asking a friend to take your car and dump it so that you can claim for a stolen car, is beyond the scope of members of the public to stop. Likewise, exaggerating the claim for things not lost is something none of the motoring public should do. Similarly, when applying be sure to complete the application truthfully and fully. Errors and omissions at that stage could lead to no coverage just when you need it most.
It is important to remember that there are organised gangs who wake up in the morning to go to work. Their job is working all manner of insurance scams, and they may ensnare you using two or more cars. It will be difficult at first to detect when you are surrounded by a gang, but keeping a keen eye out for behaviour that is not just bad driving, but driving to cause a deliberate accident will become clearer with experience.
Putting packages or handbags on the front passenger seat, or worse the rear seats is an invitation to “break my window and take my bag.” This form of highway robbery is on the increase as well. If it’s your handbag or briefcase and you really must place it on the front seat, then use the seat belt to secure it. The more obvious the better.
These are the realities of life today. It helps to anticipate what could happen so that you can be better prepared to deal with life on the roads today.
Copyright © 2010 Eugene Carmichael
These are very desperate financial times, and that is apparently leading some people to take desperate action to get their hands on money. James Foxall, Car Contributor to MSN writes that the percentage of fraudulent claims that insurers are receiving have increased by over 70%. He noted specifically ten forms of claims, some of which involve innocent other drivers. There are some things that we can do so as not to cooperate with the scam artists, but fundamentally, to be forewarned is to be forearmed.
Principally, the things that we can do is to drive carefully, free of impairments and with due attention to what other traffic is doing around us. Keeping one’s distance from the car in front means that if he intends to stop sharply forcing you to slam into him, by keeping a safe distance you will frustrate his endeavours. The reason he wants you to slam into him is that he can claim for whiplash damages, even although he may not have such an injury.
Beware of other drivers signalling you to move into their lane. Normally, the other driver will drop back allowing you to go ahead. However, in the case of the intentional collision he will not slow down, and then claim it’s your fault and deny that he gave you any such signal.
Other scams, such as asking a friend to take your car and dump it so that you can claim for a stolen car, is beyond the scope of members of the public to stop. Likewise, exaggerating the claim for things not lost is something none of the motoring public should do. Similarly, when applying be sure to complete the application truthfully and fully. Errors and omissions at that stage could lead to no coverage just when you need it most.
It is important to remember that there are organised gangs who wake up in the morning to go to work. Their job is working all manner of insurance scams, and they may ensnare you using two or more cars. It will be difficult at first to detect when you are surrounded by a gang, but keeping a keen eye out for behaviour that is not just bad driving, but driving to cause a deliberate accident will become clearer with experience.
Putting packages or handbags on the front passenger seat, or worse the rear seats is an invitation to “break my window and take my bag.” This form of highway robbery is on the increase as well. If it’s your handbag or briefcase and you really must place it on the front seat, then use the seat belt to secure it. The more obvious the better.
These are the realities of life today. It helps to anticipate what could happen so that you can be better prepared to deal with life on the roads today.
Copyright © 2010 Eugene Carmichael
