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Winter car insurance claims reach £400m

16 Mar 2010

Posted by Dan Winters

The coldest winter in 30 years has led to a rise in the number of people claiming on their car insurance policies, according to one report.

Conducted by the Association of British Insurers (ABI), there were 268,400 requests for a payout, amounting to a collective £395 million, put into companies offering motor cover between December 2009 and January this year.

The claims were mostly for car damage sustained on the slippery roads and increased number of potholes around the UK in the period, which were caused by the snow, wind and other bad weather.

"Insurers will always respond quickly to the large number of claims that often result from bad weather. [Including] repairing or replacing vehicles damaged by treacherous driving conditions, insurers helped their customers get through the snow and the freezing temperatures," said Nick Starling, director of general insurance and health for the ABI.

Cathy Keeler, deputy chief executive of road safety charity Brake, recently said that the government needs to do more to address concerns relating to drink driving, which is also leading to car insurance claims.