People who make non-essential journeys in their cars or motorbikes could be driving without valid insurance and could be liable to pay “thousands” if they are involved in an accident.
Motorists are being warned that they must check with their insurance company for clarification over what they are actually covered for during the second national lockdown.
Florence Codjoe of Uswitch.com told the Daily Mirror, “You could end up paying thousands for repairs.
“If you’re unsure about cover during lockdown, speak to your insurer for clarification.”
The guidelines for people making journeys are they are only allowed to do for food shopping and essential items, medical needs such as seeing a doctor or visiting a pharmacy, caring for the vulnerable, childcare and education.
John Neill, of Castle Insurance Services warned, “If it’s a non-essential journey and being used outside the terms of the policy then there may be grounds for an insurer to reject a claim.”
Lee Griffin, CEO and one of the founders of GoCompare told the Metro, “Taking a non-essential journey during lockdown could be outside of the terms of your car insurance policy and so could invalidate your insurance, but insurers have been given guidance by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) stating that it expects insurers to act reasonably when deciding whether or not to reject a claim made because of driving during lockdown.
“The important thing as always, is to check the terms and conditions of your policy before taking a journey that you are unsure of, to make sure you are properly protected should you need to make a claim.”
An LV= spokesperson also told the Metro, “ Customers may have read press stories online over the weekend suggesting that car insurance policies won’t be valid in the event a driver has an accident during lockdown.
“This is not the case for our car insurance customers and isn’t something they need to worry about. In the event they need to make a claim, we’ll support them as normal.”
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