Informing insurance about convictions

[thedupleman]

If you are convicted of a motoring offence you most probably won’t want to tell anyone, but unfortunately, you will need to.

False Statements and Withholding Information
Under the Road Traffic Act 1998 it is an offence for you to withhold any information that might be considered relevant, or to make false statements in an attempt to gain a Motor Insurance Certificate. For a guideline, you should tell your insurers of any motoring convictions or incidents that you feel may be relevant from the last 5 years.
In many cases, drivers who have been convicted of an offence fear that their motor insurance premium will increase as a result, so they withhold the information and don’t report it.

If you receive a Motoring Conviction, no matter what offence it is for, you must inform your car insurance company. This will often result in a higher renewal premium because evidence shows that people with motoring convictions are a higher insurance risk.

Not declaring motoring convictions is the most common way that people lie to their insurers and it is also the most common reason that policies end up being cancelled. Insurance companies tend to assume that Drivers with Convictions are poor drivers, so charge them more for their insurance, leading to a fear of disclosure from convicted motorists.

So What Offences Do I have to Disclose?
Usually when you take out an insurance policy, it becomes your responsibility to disclose any circumstance that may be material or likely to influence the basis of the contract that you have, throughout the life of the arrangement and when you renew the insurance contract.
In this context, a material fact means one that could possibly influence an underwriter when they are determining your premium – details that are particular to you such as any previous incidents.

These previous incidents may or may not have resulted in a previous insurance claim, criminal convictions or motoring convictions and should be disclosed even if you are not specifically asked to provide them.

Failure to Provide this Information
If you fail to provide any information of this nature then any claims you make against your insurance policy may not be paid and your policy may be rendered invalid.
If you aren’t sure whether or not you should disclose something, contact your insurer and discuss it with them. Err on the side of caution and don’t withhold anything that could be pertinent to the information that you have provided in order to obtain suitable insurance.

Responsibility for Disclosure
Above all, remember that it remains your sole responsibility to check that any statements made on proposal forms are full and accurate. It is a breach of the Road Traffic Act 1988 to make a false statement or withhold what might be pertinent information. Make sure that you double check all the information on a form before you sign it, particularly if someone else (including call centre advisors), have completed the form on your behalf.