There are a number of well known driving distractions that no doubt contribute to car accidents andinsurance claims. These range from a variety of factors including talking on mobile phones, texting, pedestrian distractions etc.

However, there is one less publicised driving distraction - the affect the opposite sex has on our ability to keep it on the road.

A survey of 3000 people conducted by women’s car insurance specialist, Diamond has revealed that 15% of those surveyed have crashed their car or had a near miss after being distracted by someone they think is attractive. It also states that two-fifths of British motorists flirt with other drivers on a regular basis.

Who are the biggest flirts?

Diamond reveals that men are the biggest offenders of flirtatious behaviour, with three times more men than women admitting they flirt with drivers on a daily basis.

For the most part, a cheeky glance or a smile are common ways of flirting, however, the survey revealed that drivers tend to wink, wave or even honk their horn. As it turns out, men are more likely to use their horn whereas the fairer sex, are more likely to give the object of their attraction a smile.

Apparently, far more men (63%) than women (42%) would behave more courteously to another driver if they found them attractive. Also, three times more men than women have actually been involved in an accident because they have been distracted by an eye-catching member of the opposite sex.

Where drivers flirt the most

The study shows that drivers in Wales are the biggest flirts and motorists in East Anglia are most likely to honk the horn at someone they find attractive. As it turns out, drivers in the West Midlands have had the most crashes as a result of being distracted by someone they fancy.

Source: Diamond Insurance

So I have to ask, are revealing clothing and attractive women leading to car insurance claims?

Whether or not women have fewer car accidents than men all depends on which study or statistics that you are looking at but it has been proven that women’s accidents are generally less serious than men’s.

Many insurance industry experts agree with the theory that males tend to drive more aggressively than women, break the law more often and take risks when driving.

Insurers see women as a safer risk on the road, because statistically they are less likely to be involved in accidents.

According to claims data from an insurance company, the Nissan Sunny was the most stolen car last year and Citreon C8 owners experienced the highest percentage of break ins. There was further bad news for Nissan drivers as the Pathfinder topped the tables for malicious damage.

Top five cars for percentage stolen 2009/2010

Source Admiral

Top five cars for percentage broken into 2009/2010

Source Admiral

Almost 80% worry about car crime

Statistics reveal the percentage of drivers having their cars stolen is less than half the level of five years ago. However, further research by the insurance company and YouGov for the 2010 Survey of British Motorists found 78% of us worry about car crime. In fact, 26% believe it has actually increased during the last ye ar.

Apparently, having your car keys stolen during a burglary is now a particular concern and 43% of respondents hide their keys at night. In fear of car jacking, more than 50% lock their doors when driving through a built up area.

Despite a drop in car crime, half claimed to have had their car vandalised at some point. According to Admiral claims data, the Nissan Pathfinder, Toyota IQ and Audi A5 were the most vandalised cars in 2009 and 2010.

Will my insurance company pay out?

The answer depends on the type of cover you have and your policy’s fine print. With third party insurance, you will not be covered for theft or criminal damage so you would probably need to meet the cost yourself.

Third party fire and theft will not cover items taken from your vehicle or malicious damage but will normally pay out if your car is stolen. However, a comprehensive policy may extend to articles stolen from your car or even pay out if you are the victim of vandalism.

Many insurance companies reduce your premiums if your car is locked in a garage at night so you should avoid parking on the street if at all possible. Further, insurers may reduce your premiums if your vehicle has security features such as an alarm or immobiliser

Quarter of drivers at fault in motor accidents admit to paying to fix damage

24% of British motorists have previously “paid off” another driver following an accident in which they were at fault, instead of using their insurance policy.

In a study of 2,182 British motorists involved in accidents by www.MyVoucherCodes.co.uk it found that just under a quarter, 22%, claimed to have “paid off” another driver after an accident because their excess was ‘too high to warrant going through the insurance’, whilst a further 54% said they didn’t want their premium to be increased.

2% of the drivers that had “paid off” another driver after a bump said that they had done so because they were uninsured in the vehicle at the time of the accident and wanted to avoid getting in to trouble. 11% did not want to lose their no claims bonus.

The study also revealed that 4% of the people asked admitted to having damaged another vehicle in the past and then either failed to stop or failed to report it if the car was parked with nobody in it.

19% of the drivers who had been at fault in an accident admitted to trying to lie about what really happen, to shift the blame to the other driver.

Of the drivers that had not “paid off” another driver following an incident before, 42% said they would consider it in the future; the main reason being so that their premium wouldn’t be affected.

Farhad Farhadi, personal finance expert at MyVoucherCodes.co.uk, said: “Insurance is one of those areas where, a lot of the time, companies rely on the honesty of the customer. It’s quite shocking to see that people have tried to lie about situations in the past in an attempt to shift the blame or keep their premium at a lower rate.

“A lot of road accidents must be going unreported, as the number of drivers who admitted to paying off another motorist was much higher than we expected. It’s very important in a situation such as a collision to do things properly, but if people are avoiding going through their insurance so their no claims bonus and premium won’t be affected, I can see why it’s tempting for many.”

As well as speeding, the ASSET camera can:

• Film inside a car and see if the driver is wearing a seatbelt
• Measure distances between cars to identify tailgating
• Catch motorists with out-of-date tax discs
• Read number plates to identify drivers with no insurance

The trailer-mounted device, which cost £50,000 each, is connected to police computers and can instantly process prosecutions, the Daily Mail reported.

Testing finishes in Finland next year and the cameras are set be rolled out across Europe by 2013 under a £7.1million EU scheme.

When bad weather caused havoc on the roads of Britain this winter, one AA customer thought it would be safer to call a taxi than drive his own car to the station in snowy conditions. However he probably wished he had not bothered as, ironically, when the taxi pulled up outside his house it skidded and crashed into his parked car.

2. A lovers tiff

One customer had a heated argument with his girlfriend about whether it was safe for her to drive to work in the snow. In the end she stormed off, went on her way and he followed a short while later. Unfortunately, as he approached a set of red traffic lights, he skidded and collided with the rear of the car in front, which in turn hit the car in front of that.

And who happened to be in the third car? None other than the very girlfriend he had advised not to drive earlier that morning. The details do not record whether the claim was settled amicably or not!

3. Good cop car

One customer was surprised to learn his car had helped the police prevent a robbery of a jewellery store in a town some miles away. The thieves had stolen his Land Rover to ram the roller shutter doors of a small shopping arcade where the jewellers was located.

However, not content to be an accessory in a robbery (and perhaps a cop car in a former life), the clever car ensured it got caught on the roller shutter, flipped itself onto its back end and wedged itself tightly in the entrance to the store. This meant the thieves were trapped like canned sardines and could do nothing but wait for the police to arrive.

4. Something rather sheepish

Another customer driving home from the pub with a friend had the fright of his life when there was an enormous thump on the roof of his car, which caved in bumping both companions on the head. The pair got out of the car just in time to see a sheep slide down the windscreen, spring on to the car bonnet and run off down the road. The sheep, it later transpired, had escaped from a transporter on the motorway that was involved in a collision.

5. Doggy drivers

When one customer stopped his van on the side of the road to pop into his local shop and buy a newspaper, he did not expect to come out seconds later and find both his van, and the dog inside it, gone without a trace. When he asked bystanders if they had seen anything, one man remarked that he had seen a “large dog driving a van down the road”.

Somehow the dog’s lead had wound itself around the gear lever and had released it. Fortunately, the van was stopped in its descent by another vehicle parked further down the hill.

6. Bad balance

One unlucky lady who was driving through woodland in her open soft-top car received a nasty shock when a squirrel suddenly fell out of a tree above and into her car. In its panic to escape, the squirrel scampered over her in the car causing her to run off the road into a tree. Unwilling to hang around and make a witness statement, the uncoordinated squirrel shot up a nearby tree and vanished.

7. Toilet trouble

One motorist was left rather red faced when, after stopping in the woods late one night to “relieve himself”, he emerged from behind a tree to find his car had gone. In a panic he called the police and his insurer to report the theft and his Dad who came to rescue him. But the night was not over yet!

During the short journey home with his Dad the car managed to break down, forcing them to call for assistance. Later, when father and son poured out the events of the night to the AA Patrolman, he became puzzled by the fact that although the chap was only about 20 feet from his car he did not hear it start up. Acting on a hunch, they all returned to the “scene of the crime” only to find wheel tracks disappearing down a grass bank where his car was waiting patiently at the bottom.

Oh, so that is what the handbrake is for…

8. You snooze, you lose

When one customer parked his camper van on the beach to enjoy the view and a nice nap, he certainly did not expect to wake up to find his feet wet and someone in a boat banging on the window to rescue him. The tide had come in while he was asleep, and although he was safely rescued, the van sank without a trace.

9. Off your trolley

Another unfortunate lady calmly informed AA that her bonnet had been badly damaged after “several airborne shopping trolleys came flying towards her”. The offending trolleys had apparently fallen off the back of a delivery lorry.

10. Two in one

This final story apparently had the AA call centre in stitches. Two drivers tried to turn into a parking space at the same time and got jammed against cars on either side. Stuck fast and unable to open the doors, the fire brigade had to rescue them – while an audience of about a hundred people stood around laughing at them.

Luckily they saw the funny side too!

Being from Hull, it’s easy to imagine the devastation behind this statistic. During floods in 2007, the equivalent of 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools of rain fell on the city every second. Afterwards, 3247 households were forced into temporary accommodation.

Last winter, residents in Cumbria experienced similar misery when the River Derwent flooded and caused an estimated £100 million of damage.

Although these are extreme examples, run of the mill cold snaps can also cause extensive property damage such as falling trees, burst pipes and roof tiles blowing off (to name but a few).

Will my insurance pay out?

Home-owners made almost £200 million in claims for snow, rain and ice damage during last December and January this year.

Most insurers should pay out for weather damage as part of a standard perils policy. One possible exception being if you live in an area with a high risk of flooding and your insurer specifically excludes flood-related damage in your policy.

Your insurance company will normally send a loss adjuster to visit the property who will subsequently appoint a contractor to oversee the repairs. A number of policies will also provide alternative accommodation should your home become uninhabitable.

Bear in mind, getting your home repaired may take longer during a city-wide incident when insurers and contractors are over-stretched. There were still 302 households living in temporary accommodation two years after the floods in Hull.

Tips to reduce weather damage

Despite the potential risks, Lloyds found that only half of us take any precautions against extreme weather. Here are just a few of the measures to minimise potential damage:

Keep the roof in good repair: Perform regular checks to make sure there aren’t any damaged tiles that could come loose in high winds. While you’re up there, it could also be a good idea to check the condition of your gutters.

Prepare an emergency kit: Make sure you include items such a torch, batteries, a first aid kit and blankets.

Get green fingered: If you have trees on your property, trim any loose or diseased branches.

Find your stopcock: Should a pipe burst, it’s essential you turn off the water supply as quickly as possible to minimise damage. Stopcocks are often located below the kitchen sink.

Consider central heating: Although it’s tempting to turn the heating off completely to lower energy bills when you are away this could be a false economy. Allowing the temperature to plummet is one of the most common causes of burst pipes during winter.

Instead set the heating to come on at a low temperature for a few hours each day during your absence.

Statistics from the past five years determine the postcodes where drivers have the highest number of speeding convictions. Although we might think of Hertfordshire, Dorset and Surrey as sleepy parts of the country, drivers in these areas are most likely to ignore the speed limit.

Radlett in Hertfordshire seemingly produces the most speed demons where 25.7% of drivers have a conviction. In contrast, motorists in St Ives, Cornwall are least likely to burn rubber - with just 5.5% having a conviction.

Research also found that most of us drive too fast from time to time - regardless of our postcode. Some 87% of respondents admit to exceeding the speed limit and almost 70% believe the limit on the motorway should be increased to 80 mph or higher.

With new car number plates released this month, many of us might be considering upgrading our wheels.

In all likelihood, a new car means a new insurance policy. If you are shopping around for a policy, it makes sense to become acquainted with all the loopholes and technicalities or you may find you’re not covered when you need to claim.

Here are five facts that you might not know about your policy.

Be careful who you trust

Your insurance company may not pay out if you fall prey to a fraudster when selling your car.

This deception clause covers any number of fairly common scams. For instance, the insurer might not cough up if a buyer pays for the vehicle with a cheque that bounces or tricks you into parting with your vehicle during a test drive.

Also you may not be protected if you purchase a stolen vehicle that is subsequently returned to its legal owner.

You may not be fully comprehensive abroad

A fully comprehensive insurance policy provides the most extensive covers if you’re driving in the UK. Once you leave British roads, however, you may find your level of protection plummets.

For instance, some insurers will only offer you third party cover abroad even if you are fully comprehensive in the UK. This means the company would only reimburse other people for their injuries and damaged property. Other companies will only pay out if you have provided advance warning you will be driving in another country.

Before you head off on holiday, it would be wise to check your policy’s fine print.

Your job could push up your premiums

If you’re filling in a car insurance application, you will almost certainly be asked about your profession in the ‘about you’ section. How you answer this question could have a significant impact on the cost of your premiums.

If your job involves an element of driving you could pay more for car insurance - even if you’re not exactly the Stig. Statistically the more time you spend on the roads, the more likely you are to be involved in a collision. Even midwives who drive to home births could face higher premiums.

Your premiums can still go up if you protect your no claims

With No Claims Bonuses (NCB) offering discounts as large as 70 per cent on our premiums, many of us opt to protect our No Claims. However, a protected NCB will not necessarily prevent your premiums from increasing if you have an accident.

Insurance companies may still take the accident into account as part of your driving record when calculating the premiums - although you will still qualify for the discount, the underlying premiums will be higher.

If you dish out on a trendy sports car or a fancy import, chances are you will be paying through the nose for your insurance.

If you’re a new or a young driver, you will probably struggle with high insurance premiums to begin with. Until you build up your insurer’s confidence and get a no-claims bonus, insurance companies may be tough on you so it would be wise to be sensible when purchasing a car.

Pick a car that is conducive to your lifestyle, something that is practical may not be your first choice but it will save you plenty of cash.

Small, smart cars make parking and driving much more manageable and your insurance more affordable.

What to look for

If you are buying a used car there are a couple of things you should look out for. First off, if you have found a car that catches your eye ask the previous owner or dealer for service receipts and history. This will give you peace of mind knowing that the car you buy has been taken care of.

It is vital that the car is legitimate and in good working condition. Sometimes cars can be listed for cheap prices in order to catch a potential buyer’s attention. It would be prudent to question the price. Does it need work? Has the car been damaged? Perhaps there may be a foul odour, which is the case if the previous owner was a heavy smoker.

Approaching the dealership

Many dealers now offer great deals on practical smart cars in the price range of £9,000 to £15,000. Some of these include the Ford Fiesta, Skoda Fabia, Ford Ka, Citroen C1 and the Toyota Aygo.

As the market is currently flooded with small cars aimed at attracting the attention of buyers that are financially astute and environmentally aware, many of these cars offer lower emissions and increased power to suit your needs.

These cars are also more likely to reduce your insurance premiums as long as you do not have a horrendous driving record.

The most likely reason that you will be paying less insurance for these cars is that they don’t cost the insurance companies that much money when you make a claim. They are much quicker to repair as the parts are readily available and are cheaper to buy. These cars are also cheaper to write off in case of a serious accident

Some of the cheapest cars to insure are the Vauxhall Corsa, Fiat Punto, Renault Clio, Ford Fiesta, VW Pollo, the Seat Ibiza and the Smart to name a few.

These may not be the type of cars that you dream of but they will ensure that you pay less on maintenance and insurance. They will also help you build up a no-claims bonus for when you do purchase your desired car.

When you buy a car there are a lot of expenses involved such as the cost of petrol, maintenance, insurance and parking fees.

Ideally, once you have a car, you want to maintain it and make sure it lasts you as long as possible. Sure, it probably won’t make it to the one million mile mark but it could very well last a lot longer than you expected.

Maintenance

Research suggests that a poorly tuned car uses up to 33 per cent more petrol each year. It is cheaper to pay for the cost of a tune-up. In the long run you could save a couple hundred pounds per year.

Unless your manufacturer recommends high-octane petrol, use the least expensive petrol possible. Premium petrol prices can be up to 15 per cent higher than regular. Depending on the amount that you drive, you could see savings of up to a few hundred pounds per year.

Change the oil every 3,000 miles regardless of how often your manufacturer recommends. Frequent oil changes can play a major part in extending the life of your engine. You could save anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand pounds a year.

Save on insurance

Ask your insurance provider how much you can save by raising the excess on your collision insurance. Raising your excess a couple hundred pounds could save you a significant amount of money.

If you are happy with your insurance company you may want to stay with them, but if you have a good driving record, shop around to see how much you can save. Most insurers will provide a substantial discount for multiple polices so it may be a good idea to get your car and home insurance from the same provider.

Avoid speeding as much as possible. Some insurance companies give discounts up to 20 per cent if you have not had an accident or a ticket for a few years.

Buying a new car

Resist the temptation of paying full price for this month’s trending car, the parts may be expensive to replace and will cost you more money to insure.

Something to think about; if you spend ten thousand less when you buy a car and invest that money over the length of time you have the car, you will have actually made some money.

If you only have a small amount allocated for a down payment, you are at a disadvantage the moment you get the car. The longer the loan term, the more time you will spend paying it off.

Call your insurer for full-coverage rates on the cars you’re considering. You can compare the relative risk for theft, injury and collision repairs.

Despite the drop in the jobless number and people seeking unemployment benefits, the employment market remains fragile.

The Bank of England downgraded its original growth estimate to less than 3% down from 3.5% and said that inflation would remain high for longer than originally forecast.

As there are still concerns about the strength of Britain’s economic recovery, it may be a good idea to protect yourself while you can. If you are among the 29 million Britons currently employed, looking into an income protection policy may be in your best interest.

So, what exactly is income protection? Quite simply, it pays out an income if you’re unable to work in case of an unexpected redundancy, illness or injury. It aims to put you back in the financial position you were in before you were unable to work by paying you a tax-free income.

However, there can be some confusion when it comes to different types of income protection. With so many products on the market such as mortgage protection insurance, long-term disability and private health insurance to name a few, the premiums and levels of cover will vary.

In any case, if you choose the right type of policy, income protection insurance can secure your standard of living if the worst were to happen.

Why you need income protection

If you were to find yourself without a job or forced to leave work due to illness, accident or injury, would you be able to take care of yourself or your family’s well being? Would you be able to survive without a regular income?

Unfortunately income protection will not replace your entire income but it can supplement up to 75 per cent of it depending on your policy. Now this may not allow you to continue the same lifestyle that you had become accustomed to, however, it could help you meet your financial obligations.

If you live with a partner, income protection can ensure that he or she will not have to pick up another job in order to make ends meet. If your household was accustomed to having two incomes and it was suddenly cut in half or if you were the primary breadwinner and you lost your salary-you and your loved ones would be in a financial bind.

If your recent disability permanently stopped you from continuing in your line of work the policy you purchase may pay you until your retirement. This, however, depends on the provider and policy you choose.

What to watch out for

Exclusion period: most policies will have small print which excludes claims for unemployment for up to four months from the inception date of when you took out the policy. The exclusion period is the amount of time you will need to be unemployed before your policy kicks in.

This is primarily done to prevent fraud as some people may know when they will become unemployed.

Changing policies: if you have bought an income protection policy from a bank that is tied to your mortgage or loan, you may very well find that an independent supplier will be less expensive and perhaps more favourable to your circumstances.

Excess period: this is the period of time from the day you make your claim to the time your money is paid out. If you are in a good financial position it may be a good idea to set a longer excess date as it would ensure that your premiums are much lower.

With such a vast market, picking the right policy can be confusing so it’s wise to speak to an adviser and learn all you can before selecting a policy.

Pop in to your local tyre fitter and you’ll have the choice of dozens of brands. Some will be expensive – up to £100 each, including fitting, for a basic Ford Focus or VW Golf – while others seem a snip at half the price. There can’t be that much difference in performance, can there?

After all, they’re all just black bands of rubber, and the cheap tyres wouldn’t be sold in the UK if they weren’t as good as premium brands, would they?

Think again. We pitted three premium tyres against three budget alternatives in a series of braking tests, and the results were shocking. In the wet, the budget tyres took an average of 14 metres – the length of an articulated lorry – longer than the premium tyres to pull up from 70mph.

In the dry the differences weren’t as vast, but the worst budget tyre still took up to five metres longer to stop than the top premium brand. That could easily be the difference between a nasty accident and escaping with just sweaty palms.

We also assessed how well the six tyres hung on when cornering in the dry, by measuring lateral g forces, and how much road noise each set generated.

According to Ferrari, the glue securing the wheel arch lining and heat shield can melt and deform when under high operating temperatures. When this comes into contact with the exhaust, “the glue can smoke and the wheel arch liner can ignite”.

Ferrari has notified all 458 owners informing them of the fix - which takes around half a day - and involves securing the wheel arch liner with bolts and screws instead of glue. All future 458 Italias will be built in this way.

The spokesman confirmed “1,248 Ferrari 458 Italias have been recalled worldwide, with approximately 50 in the UK”.

The five “acknowledged” 458s totally destroyed by fire will be replaced, Ferrari said, “at no cost to the client”.

Replacing the original rear view mirror, MirrorNavi costs £299 plus fitting and means drivers can see the navigation at the same time as checking the rear view.

It is compatible with Ford car and commercial vehicle ranges and can be fitted in an hour by a Ford dealer and is mounted without any visible wires or damage to the main instrument panel.

The carmaker said that insurance companies have confirmed MirrorNavi is defined as a fitted navigation system for their purposes and “another advantage is the absence of suction cup marks on the windscreen which might alert thieves”.

The MirrorNavi has tinted and dimming mirror glass, battery charging connection and anti-theft security.

It is made by Garmin and Wollnikom and includes a 3.5-inch touchscreen colour display, an internal memory and card slot, 2D or 3D map display, destination memory and maps and voice response for more than 70 countries and languages.

Colour is a powerful thing. It can transform a bland bedroom into a beguiling boudoir, or turn a financially sound car choice into an ownership disaster. Yet most people don’t really link a car’s colour with how fast its value will depreciate – and that’s a major mistake.

Our research shows that colour choice can affect your car’s second-hand value by thousands of pounds. Even the cheapest new cars can be affected: pick the wrong colour on a basic supermini and you could be almost £1000 out of pocket in just three years.

So what is the right colour?
Choose an inoffensive colour such as black for your new Ford Fiesta and it’ll be worth nearly £1000 more than the same car in green after three years. Buy a new BMW 3 Series in white instead of green and it’ll be worth £2160 more after the same three-year period.

The colours most resistant to depreciation depend on the make, model, engine and trim of the car they’re attached to. However, according to What Car?’s depreciation figures, there are some basic rules to follow. Mainstream versions of run-of-the mill cars, including the Ford Mondeo, Vauxhall Astra and even the Volkswagen Golf, hold on to their value better when paintedsilver, black or grey.

Valuation data manager Gavin Frost said: ‘It might seem a bit boring, but buyers of this type of car – new and used – are usually pretty conservative with
their colour choice, so it’s best to steer clear of unusual shades, including white.’
It’s the same with executive and luxury cars. High-end Audis, BMWs and Mercs are best in black, silver or anything in between.

Tick the ‘white’ box when ordering a new Mercedes-Benz E220 CDI Blue Efficiency SE and you’ll be chucking away nearly £1500 in additional depreciation.