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Read the small print on your motor policy
Thousands of UK motorists relying on urban myths (and not reading the small print on their insurance policies) are running a major risk of not being covered to the extent they think they are, according to new research.
The research, undertaken on behalf of swiftcover.com, found British drivers to be extremely confused as to what is and isn't covered by their insurance. For example, while eating and smoking behind the wheel might not be a criminal offence, many drivers aren't aware that they could be accused of negligence if involved in an accident while eating or smoking; resulting in a drastically reduced payout. Data shows 65% of drivers eating whilst driving and 36% still smoking. Swiftcover.com's poll found that over a fifth of British motorists don't know whether they would be covered regardless, if they were in an accident in this case.
Meanwhile, hopping behind the wheel of your partner or friend's car might seem like a perfectly acceptable thing to do - indeed 29% of drivers polled assumed they would be insured through their own insurance. In fact, most car insurance policies only insure drivers if it's included in the small print, and rarely offer more than third party cover.
Another no no is putting the wrong type of fuel into your car as it can, in some cases, invalidate your policy. The advice is to always double-check at the pump, given an engine strip-down costs thousands of pounds and won't be something you want to have to pay for.
The bottom line however is to read the small print.
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