The Courier Shop

Well it seems like there really is nothing new under the sun, as vehicle satellite tracking has been rebranded as the tool to tame white van man. The ‘new’ product is called “Driver DNA” and tracks the driving of a vehicle and shows harsh braking patterns and agressive driving patterns, again all things that are shown in real time with satellite tracking.  A system we use goes as far as ‘geo-fencing’ postcodes and emailing alerts when vehicles reach a certain area or postcode or breaks the speed limit. It can tell you when the vehicle is turned on, whether it’s idling – just about anything you could want to know and quite a few things you wouldn’t want to know as well.

Couriers have long used Tom Tom fleet systems and products such as Journeeze to manage their fuel consumption and where their vehicles are. Fuel is the biggest expenditure where white van man are concerned and monitoring closely is something they do. As any good fleet manager would tell you, monitoring fuel consumption is an early highlighter of vehicle faults and all vehicles are checked on a daily or weekly basis as per transport regulations, with records that prove the action has taken place.

Driver DNA hardly seems original, any good tracking system will do the same as it does and has several years heritage as well. It’s disappointing that once again white van man is blamed for co2 emissions and bad driving. Obviously the makers have never seen or drove near school run mum, who drives erratically without thought for anyone else on the road just delivering her kids to the school, reversing without using her mirrors, signaling one way then going the other. Now you know why most accidents happen close to schools. Instead of inventing the double seatbelt to combat School Run Mum, the creators of Driver DNA have just decided to reinvent the wheel with no thought to what products already do the job, that already solving the problem they proclaim exists.

2/10 for effort, must try harder is this white van womans report, you are three years behind the times.

Sarah

Article by Chris Lodge from Kaslers. This article is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.

Unfortunately many people discover after they have been involved in a road traffic accident that for some reason their insurance is invalid, so what can be done?

The Motor Insurers Bureau

The MIB as it is usually known is the organisation that pays the victims of uninsured motorists so whatever happens, if it turns out that you were not insured and were to blame, the person who was injured or whose property was damaged should not be adversely affected by your lack of insurance (unless he or she is also uninsured).

The MIB is primarily funded by a percentage of the motor insurance we all pay.

However, once they have settled the claim(s) made against you, they will look to recover from you all the expenditure they have paid out. They may however agree to payment by installments.

If the vehicle was insured..

..but you were not covered to drive it, then the insurers of the vehicle will have to make payment in the same way as the MIB and similarly will look to you to repay their expenditure.

What if the accident was not your fault?

If the other driver was to blame, then the fact that you turned out to be uninsured is irrelevant to your claim and you can recover your losses just as you would if the insurance had been valid. The only exception is if the other driver is also uninsured.

If you were partially to blame

..then you can recover your percentage of damages but they may well be swallowed up by the amount payable to the other party.

For example, where there has been a head-on collision with no witnesses or other information to available to prove who was to blame, the matter may be settled on a 50/50 basis.

If your claim is worth £3000.00, your 50% would be worth £1500.00 but if the other driver’s claim was worth £2000.00, he would be entitled to £1000.00 plus legal costs at say £1500.00 with the result that you would owe £2500.00, £1500.00 of which would be recouped immediately from the monies otherwise payable to you, leaving a balance of £1000.00 still payable from your own resources.

Do not ignore correspondence

Insurers and personal injury lawyers have access to the Motor Insurers Database so it will soon be discovered if you have no insurance or if your insurance is defective. By co-operating with the Motor Insurer’s Bureau or the actual insurers of the vehicle, this should keep costs to a minimum. Send any letters you receive form solicitors or insurers without delay to the MIB or the insurers involved and provide as much information as possible. If you do not, they may have no option but to pay the claim against you in full even if in fact you not wholly at fault.

THIS ARTICLE IS NOT INTENDED TO COVER ANY MATTER RELATING TO POLICE PROSECUTION ARISING OUT OF A LACK OF INSURANCE

Chris Lodge
Kaslers Solicitors
If you need After Accident Assistance following a Road Accident in the UK, we can help – <a href=”mailto:cml@kaslers.co.uk?subject=”Ref: Kevin Arrow”>Email direct with as much info as you can by clicking here</a>

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