If your insurance co. ask, do you declare non-claimed accidents?

DRZ

DRZ

DRZ

Soldato
Joined
2 Jun 2003
Posts
7,746
Location
In the top 1%
From a discussion on the IRC chan, I have a question:

Say you stacked your car and didnt claim (for whatever reason) and come renewal time you change insurers. Your new insurance company asks "Have you had any accidents in the last 5 years, fault or not and regardless of if you claimed or not"

Now, nobody "official" knew about the accident - would you hold your hands up and say "yes, I put my car into a hedge" or would you lie and say no knowing that there was barely any chance of them finding out?

Any legal-eagles care to comment on the position there? Is it a case of "its none of their business" perhaps?
 
Legally, if you don't declare an accident, your policy (or at least large parts of it) could well be void, and you're committing fraud.

When you sign up to an Insurance contract, you are stating you have given correct information.

You may as well just not bother insuring the car at all.

Of course, the other side of the argument is what consitutes an accident....
 
no damage to any other party, so no, I wont be declaring my dodge into the hedge, its cost no one anything, so hardly like its causing an issue.
 
Dolph said:
Of course, the other side of the argument is what consitutes an accident....
Click to expand...

This was discussed and no answer found that was accepted really. Perhaps if damage was done, it is an accident?

As for Conanius, does the Hedge owner not count as a third party? :p :D
 
Conanius said:
no damage to any other party, so no, I wont be declaring my dodge into the hedge, its cost no one anything, so hardly like its causing an issue.
Click to expand...

Thats my take on the situation too. Insurance company need not know about my hedge attacking antics!
 
They'll never find out about it and they'll never prove it in the event of a claim dispute. Say nothing.
 
Alright then, given that most of the people here would lie - surely most of them know that, so why bother asking if there was no way in hell they could ever prove it one way or the other?

I guess its just an attempt to screw the honest people even more while the scummy fraudsters get away with it :(
 
Scuzi said:
They'll never find out about it and they'll never prove it in the event of a claim dispute. Say nothing.
Click to expand...

That's what I thought. It's a ridiculous question - could range from a tiny bump in a car park where nothing was damaged, to a fully fledged stacking.

Any insurer who asks such a question sounds like one which will do anything it could to wriggle out of a claim.
 
I stacked my first car into a hedge, paid for the damage out of my own pocket (£600, ouch!!! :eek: ) and bought another car.

I wonder if they sussed why I wanted to change my policy details so soon after taking the insurance out :D
 
Ever since my Bike insurer tried to load my bike policy because my car radio was nicked while my wife had borrowed the car for work I've thought **** the money grabbing thieving ******** :mad:
 
I dont see it as an issue really, (the hedge was on a country lane, and I reported the accident to the police, so if the farmer wants me he has my details :p )

I'll mention it to the insurers when Im due for renewal.. however I guess its like a private dealing, the insurance policy was never claimed on or involved.
 
they do check between companies. basically a policyholder of ours today was asking me to counterclaim for the pre-accident value of his car, due to the third party supposedly writing it off.

after some sloothing by the claims dept, they find out that he was involved in another claim aobut 3 weeks before he came on cover with us, the inspection for which took place 3 days after the date of the accident which i am defending.

due to the above his policy was voided and we are now having to leave him to deal with the claim himself as we technically never covered him.

small fibs like that can cost you dearly, his claim proved that it does happen
 
I wont ever bother mentioning the MR2 incident, it didnt cost them anything and it wasnt recorded anywhere, so insurance need not know.
 
Matt82 said:
they do check between companies. basically a policyholder of ours today was asking me to counterclaim for the pre-accident value of his car, due to the third party supposedly writing it off.

after some sloothing by the claims dept, they find out that he was involved in another claim aobut 3 weeks before he came on cover with us, the inspection for which took place 3 days after the date of the accident which i am defending.

due to the above his policy was voided and we are now having to leave him to deal with the claim himself as we technically never covered him.

small fibs like that can cost you dearly, his claim proved that it does happen
Click to expand...

If you put the car into a hedge and no-one else involved so you decide to fix the bent panels out of your own pocket. No-one knows the accident happened, there's no police record of an accident and there's no record of a claim with the insurance company. Quite frankly you'd be silly to tell the insurance company about it and hence get a hike in your premium.

What they don't know can't hurt them, or you in this case. ;)

However if the accident was reported to the police or a previous insurer it wouldbe safer to decalre it. Otherwise, say nothing.
 
You should declare it, personally I wouldn't.

Its the same as if your window gets put through and your head unit gets swiped. Even if you don't claim you should still inform your insurer.
 
I wouldn't, and haven't ;)

The only accidents I mention are ones where an insurance company has been involved.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom