Reading: Could your insurance be invalid because you didn’t change your tyres?

Could your insurance be invalid because you didn’t change your car tyres last week?

Insurers are interested in more than just what is going on under your bonnet when they insure you, according to price comparison website No Claims Discount.  They are looking for a clean bill of health on everything from tyres to rear view mirrors.

 

After careful scrutiny of the insurance policy wording for insurance giants Barclays, AA and Privilege, NCD highlighted the following clause inserted in the general terms and conditions:

‘You must have also kept the Insured Car in efficient and roadworthy condition and allow the Insurer free access to examine it at any reasonable time.’

 

Therefore, it is possible that even if you are involved in an accident that it is not your fault your insurance company could invalidate your policy and reject your claim if your tyre tread is below the legal limit.

 

Privilege also included an additional section on their website that specified which parts of your car need to be checked regularly.  This coincides with the Highway Code, which states that the following weekly checks are important to maintain your vehicles roadworthiness:

·          Ensuring your lights, windows and mirrors are clean

·         Checking the oil levels

·         Checking the condition of the vehicle’s tyres for damage, pressure and tread

 

Failing to carry out any of these checks could contribute to an accident.

 

So are insurers justified in their demands of road users?

 

Etyres own research shows that accidents are higher in winter than other seasons and this is often due to skidding caused by worn tyres of tyres unable to adjust to harsh weather conditions.

Also, Etyres is awarethat Britons appear are less concerned about tyre safety.  Only 3 percent of Britons purchase winter tyres, whereas in the Netherlands, where snow is rare, the figure is 10 percent and in Germany it is 50 percent, even though snowfall varies based on region and yearly climate trends.

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 1st, 2009 at 12:34 pm and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.