Compare Free Insurance Quotes!

Aviva’s RAC launches misfuelling service

Christopher Lopez — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:43:37 +0000

Aviva’s RAC unit has launched a specialist patrol team to aid the 400-plus motorists per day who accidentally put the wrong fuel in their cars.

RAC Fuel Patrol vans are fitted with equipment to extract the contaminated fuel and flush the vehicle’s fuel system on the spot, with motorists driving away, on average, 40 minutes after the patrol arrives at the scene.

The service is not included as part of a breakdown policy, but is available to both RAC members and non-members, for £175 and £190 respectively.

A number of patrols are already operating in London, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Buckinghamshire, the South West, Liverpool, the South Coast and part of the West Midlands, with further expansion planned.

A recent study by the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) estimated that there are 150,000 misfuelling cases in the UK per year.

In 95% of cases, drivers put petrol into a diesel vehicle because the wider diesel filler neck takes the narrower unleaded nozzle.

According to BIBA, damaged caused by misfuelling is not covered by almost a third of motor insurance policies.

Dishonest drivers add £50 to car insurance premiums

Christopher Lopez — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:40:33 +0000

Honest UK motorists are paying £1.25 billion a year to support the activities of dishonest drivers.

According to research from Co-operative Insurance, the average car insurance premium carries a £50 penalty to cover costs incurred by uninsured and fraudulent road users.

Launching a joint initiative with road safety charity, Brake, Co-operative Financial Services chief operating officer, Tim Franklin, said: “Millions of people are deliberately flouting the law by not insuring their cars at massive cost to honest road users and the wider insurance industry, posing an unnecessary and unjustified risk.”

He added: “Whilst work is continuing to highlight the dangers of uninsured drivers – and keep them off the UK’s public highways – by the police, road safety groups and the insurance industry, there is clearly more to be done.”

Last month The Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) identified the UK’s uninsured driving hotspots, placing Barkerend in Bradford (BD3) at the top of the list.

The West Yo

Campers on Mars

Michael Martinez — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 12:06:03 +0000

NASA have been running a competition, “The X-Hab Challenge,” between engineers to find a suitable flexible dwelling-cum-vehicle for the Martian surface. The NASA guidelines for the competition(pdf) lay down a number of criteria which basically simplify to the following requirements:

hard-shell prototype habitat
inflatable loft to deploy from hard shell
room enough to sleep four
reconfigurable as a “crew gathering” or “group meeting” area

The winning design will be put into extensive testing by NASA and might just wind up on its way to the Moon or Mars one day.

I have already submitted a prototype entry:

Artists impression

It is pretty foolproof really. The design

Insurance Tip for the Week: Know Where to Purchase Gap Insurance

Michael Martinez — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 22:29:41 +0000

Purchasing gap insurance is important for many. If you are buying a new car or leasing, in most cases it is a must. But, when it comes time to purchase that gap insurance policy, have you thought about what company you want your gap insurance through?

Gone Paddling-Nearly at the Finishing Line!

Michael Martinez — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 08:45:54 +0000

James Bonnell has been circumnavigating the UK for the past 130 days…and has managed to paddle 2160 miles! And with less than 100 miles to go, we thought we would give you an update on the challenges he has faced!

Weeks 11 and 12: James’ wrist fell victim to Tendonitis, which resulted in being on a number of painkillers, and having to wear wrist supports. He kept paddling, but he had to make sure he was well enough as he had to face with 5 hours of open sea paddling, for the first time on this adventure.

A few days later he found himself in minor difficulty when the weather turned and forced his kayak landing into some rocks by a lighthouse. Luc

Halfords backs learner drivers

Christopher Lopez — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:41:53 +0000

Halfords, the motoring accessories firm, is encouraging learner drivers to spend more time practising on the roads by teaming up with young driver specialist Provisional Marmalade.

Together, the two offer car insurance from just £3 per day for provisional drivers, who will be able to benefit from comprehensive car insurance at an unprecedented low price.

The measure has been taken by Halfords in a bid to help promote more real-world practice on the road, something which many provisional drivers do little of due to high insurance costs.

Standard policies could see learner drivers pay huge costs, even exceeding £3000, with the car owner risking their No Claims bonus.

Learner drivers also have to grapple with the difficulty of many insurers increasing their minimum insurance age to 21 or even 25.

The Halfords/Provisional Marmalade insurance policy provides coverage for between £90.95 and £99.50 per month, and as a separate policy it does not affect any other insurance on the car in question.

It is particularly important for younger drivers to be properly insured, as research indicates that they are the age group likeliest to be involved in accidents, with a third of the 1.2 million road deaths every year suffered by the under 25s.