According to the latest research conducted on behalf of Direct Line Car Insurance, 34% of passengers have willingly travelled as a passenger in a car they suspect is being driven by a drunk driver. The research was carried out by Opinium Research who carried out an online poll of 2,359 adults living in the UK.

More worryingly was the fact that, according to additional findings, 34% of those passengers were willing to go a step further and act as either a look out for police, speed cameras and road conditions for the duration of the car journey. The age group revealed to be most likely to behave in this manner were 18 to 34 olds, with a whopping 40% admitting to having assisted drunk drivers in these ways whereas the age group most content to simply travel in the car as a passive passenger were the over 55’s.

With over 50 individuals every week either injured or suffering fatalities as a result of drink driving, the message from Direct Line is that accidents can be avoided if potential passengers take an active stance to discourage potential drink driving. This may seem obvious to many consciencious motorists, but if those complicit in assisting drivers who are intoxicated fully understood the dangers to themselves and others, there may be far fewer drink drivers. What is not apparent from the survey is the percentage of those passengers who were also intoxicated, but then, on a more positive note, 1 in 12 passengers have taken the car keys to prevent someone who has been drinking from driving home.

According to the latest claims data by Aviva, who used to be known as Norwich Union Car Insurance, driving in European countries such as Germany and France could end up being very costly if you are unfortunate enough to be involved in a road traffic accident.

Norwich Union - now known as Aviva

The average car insurance claims costs should you crash in Germany are around 50% higher than the UK and in France, average personal injury claims total nearly £10,000. Other European countries identified as being costly crash destinations include Spain, Austria, Belgium and unsurprisingly Switzerland, where the cost of living is notoriously high.

Therefore, the message from Aviva to the estimated 2 million UK drivers venturing into Europe this year is, make sure you are properly insured. The consequences of not being properly covered include arranging repairs and sorting out the claim in the country where the accident happened, in addition to possibly having to pay for repairs to your car even if the accident was not your fault.

If you do plan to drive outside the UK, please view Aviva’s top ten tips on accidents abroad, covering foreign country’s protocol if you breakdown and what is required of you by law. For example, some countries require that you always carry visibility vests and wear such clothing if you are stranded or that you carry spare spectacles.

Insurance fraud does not usually involve injuring people, however, a disturbing new type of car insurance fraud entitled “Crash for Cash” has emerged in recent years effectively putting motorists lives at risk and causing serious injury.

How does Crash for Cash work?

Quite simply, a fraudster will target a busy road junction by driving extremely erratically and, for example, they may perform emergency stops which are completely unnecessary, causing unsuspecting motorists to crash into them. Subsequent car insurance claims citing fictitious personal injuries are then made to the victim’s insurers. Recent cases brought to court highlight the fact that this type of fraud is perpetrated by highly organised criminal gangs who are often involved in other fraudulent activities as well.

According to the Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) who are leading the fight against this phenomenon, the top 20 hotspots in the UK where this type of fraud occurs most often are as follows;

Bradford, Blackburn, Oldham, Liverpool, Huddersfield, Birmingham, Bolton, Halifax, Uxbridge, Luton, Ilford and Barking, Slough, London East, Harrow, Manchester, Walsall, London North, Leeds, Enfield, London North-West

Most of these hotspots exist in deprived inner city areas, but due to persistent targeting of such locations by the IFB working alongside the Police and other agencies, successes have been achieved in the fight against deliberate car crash crimes.