ALMOST £2billion worth of cars are written off in crashes every year in the UK – and we’re fast approaching the annual Armageddon period for crash write-offs.
The last three months of the year see more insurance write-offs than any other period, notching up a massive 30 per cent of the annual write-off total of 258,000 vehicles.
If you are involved in an accident
- Stop the car – it’s an offence under the Road Traffic Act not to – switch the engine off and switch on your hazard lights to warn other drivers.
- If anyone has been injured call the police (and the ambulance if necessary) as soon as possible.
- Give your name and address to anyone else involved
- Avoid accepting blame as it could count against you later on.
- If possible collect names, addresses and contact numbers from any drivers, passengers and witnesses.
- Ask other drivers involved for their car insurance details.
- If possible make a quick sketch – or even better take a photograph – showing the position of vehicles involved, noting their registration numbers.
November is the worst month, accounting for 10.6 per cent of that figure.
Analysis of 40,000 collisions handled by the accident management firm Accident Exchange reveals that 12 per cent of all crashes over the past year resulted in at least one vehicle being written-off.
And while you might expect owners of new cars to be generally more careful the research has shown that this group of drivers is particularly susceptible to write-off collisions.
More than two per cent of vehicles damaged beyond repair – over 5,000 – are less than 12 months’ old.
The company points out that despite the numbers involved, dealerships rarely provide adequate post-accident care or capitalise on the sales opportunity following a total loss – invaluable leads, potentially worth billions.
Liz Fisher, sales director at Accident Exchange, said: “A total loss generally indicates that a serious accident has taken place, and the research shows that they are perhaps more prevalent than anyone expects.
“The value of vehicles written-off annually is staggering.
“What’s most surprising though, from an industry perspective, is that dealers often don’t have a plan to provide the necessary follow-up calls when a customer has had an accident – in fact they sometimes never even find out.
“As the first port of call for tens of thousands of drivers after an accident, the post-accident leads we provide dealers have become an invaluable source of additional revenue, allowing them to offer better customer service and sell more cars.”
A spokesman for fleet risk management experts 3Sixty Solutions, commented: “People are extremely vulnerable when they have a motor accident and many are simply led by the first person that calls them to provide support and assistance.
“Customers who have bought vehicles from a dealer often feel a huge loyalty to that brand and would welcome access to immediate support from someone that they identify with as a trusted supplier.
“The early involvement of dealerships as part of the process of replacing a written-off vehicle can often be a catalyst to bring down the total cost of claims through immediate sourcing of an equivalent vehicle at the right price.”
