When it comes to a sizeable purchase such as insurance for your vehicle, now more than ever you will want to be certain that you have made the right choice. With so many different companies out there for you to choose from, sometimes it's hard to know where to begin, but if you make a list of priorities once you've done some initial research you might find that the task becomes a little easier. We all expect something different from our policies, and there's sure to be one that suits you down to the ground, so here's a quick look at a few things you might like to think about:
If ethics are important to you in each expenditure then the Co-operative's financial services will no doubt appeal to you. Their ethical investments policy means that they promise all their customers that their money will only be invested in ethically sound companies and schemes, so you can rest assured that your choice can only have positive impact on the world.
Whilst researching insurance companies you may have noticed that many will try to entice you with a variety of tempting introductory offers. These can be persuasive, but it's worth thinking carefully about whether they will actually save you money. Some of the more unusual ones, however, are definitely worth a look. Kwik Fit, for example, offer all their insurance customers a free M.O.T. when they open a new insurance policy, effectively saving you a large lump of cash. What's more, for the duration of your custom with their insurance business, they will offer you a reduction of 10% on all your mechanics bills at one of their many garages nationwide. An impressive incentive.
Of course, it might not be a car that you're looking to insure. If it's van insurance that you're after then you should look out for an insurance broker who will cater specifically for van drivers in order to find the best quote. At the moment, Auto Direct offer deals for van drivers and their insurance. Check out their website for a van insurance quote and further information.
The motorbike insurance industry now has the use of a Motor Insurance Database; this holds information of all motor insurance policies including cars, motorbikes, vans, and Lorries. In addition, records of your vehicles MOT and Road Tax are also kept on databases. These are all accessible by the police, to determine whether a vehicle is legally fit to be on the road.
These databases were created to catch uninsured vehicles on the road, in addition to vehicles that are either untaxed or without a MOT certificate. Uninsured drivers alone cost the government on average around 380 million pounds according to the DirectGov website.
This money is added to our motorbike insurance policies, and costs the honest motorist on average 30 pounds per policy according to the DirectGov website. This is called IPT (Insurance Premium Tax) costing you five percent of your insurance premium.
The database also holds information of whether you have an insurance policy on another vehicle, which entitles you to drive any other vehicle, in the event you are driving a friends vehicle.
The combination of the insurance and MOT databases, enable us to buy our road tax online, making the whole process much easier, and does not cost us any more money. This is provided that your insurance and MOT information has been stored on the database correctly.
Motorbike insurance companies check their information against the database on a regular basis, keeping it both up to date and correct. If a customer of bike insurance has for example provided an incorrect registration number, this will be picked up by the checks in a matter of days. The client is then contacted to rectify this error, some of the time it may be that the vehicle has been sold, and the insurance policy has not been cancelled.
Many vehicles that are sold do not have their insurance policies cancelled. When the new rider or driver then tries to insure the vehicle, this can cause complications, as a vehicle cannot be insured twice. You must always cancel an insurance policy on a vehicle you no longer own, as this can also cause complication for you if the vehicle is involved in an accident.
Motorbike insurance companies have the responsibility to keep the database as up to date as humanly possible, meaning that if any information is delayed over a set time, the insurance company can face fines for this. This is why the insurers require certain paperwork from customers to be returned within a certain time, and if this is not received, they can invoke cancellation procedures.
However, there can be delays of a few days before your information appears on the database. The information is transmitted overnight from the insurance companies to the database. So do not expect to tax your vehicle the same day as insuring it, whether you have insured it over the phone, or online.
The police have the ability to scan vehicle registration number plates, and check the database for insurance, tax, and MOT in a matter of seconds. If your vehicle is found uninsured, the police have the power to seize your vehicle, with the possibility of destroying it in the event no one with valid insurance claims it. This will enable them to crack down on vehicles that are not fit to be on the road.
Having the database in place is an advantage to us all; it speeds up both police checks, and helps to crack down on uninsured drivers making it a very efficient way of accessing the data. Therefore, whether you are uninsured, untaxed or your vehicle has no MOT, it is only a matter of time before you are caught.
Both Mike Jenson & Anna Stenning are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Mike Jenson has sinced written about articles on various topics from Motorola Cell Phone, Van Insurance and Insurance. If you'd like to save money on your van insurance, get a now and you are sure to save with autodirect.co.uk. Mike Jenson's top article generates over 1300 views. to your Favourites.
Anna Stenning has sinced written about articles on various topics from computers and the internet, Management and Wedding Gifts. Anna Stenning is an expert on having applied for many insurance policies in the past.. Anna Stenning's top article generates over 4090000 views. to your Favourites.