My bet with Simon for the Semi’s is, I’m afraid a cert. If we do get there the site (& simon!) will never let me forget it I’m sure.

Tips to reduce premiums

Car insurance premiums for younger drivers don’t have to cost the earth, but even where they are expensive you can help to limit the impact by following the following tips.

Downsize your engine

Buy a car from a low-risk insurance group, such as a supermini, to limit your premium. Get some quotes before you buy so that you know the rough price bracket it falls into.

Top up your learning

Enrol in a Pass Plus scheme, run by the Driving Standards Agency, to help new drivers gain extra experience.

Look for tailored policies

Some insurers offer policies more suited to young drivers  which offers cheaper premiums in exchange for not driving between 11pm and 5am. According to the Association of British Insurers, 50% of serious or fatal accidents among under-21s happen at night.

Add a named driver

Adding named drivers to the policy can reduce the premium, particularly if they’re older and more experienced. If the insurance policy is to be in the young person’s name, transfer the car into their name too – many insurers won’t provide cover unless the main driver is also the owner.

Consider increasing the excess

Be realistic though. If you’re 17 and don’t have much money, could you afford a £600 excess if you had an accident? Explore the options. Don’t assume that comprehensive cover is always more expensive than third party, fire and theft. Third-party cover may be cheaper if you’re buying a low-value car, but it’s worth getting quotes for both.

The risks of ‘fronting’

It may seem cheaper to put the policy in the parent’s name, with the child as a named driver. However, if the child is actually the main driver, this practice is known as ‘fronting’ and is illegal. Insurers are increasingly tracing fronted policies.

If your child doesn’t drive your car very often – if they’re away at university, for example – you may be able to add them to your insurance as a temporary driver for short periods rather than taking out a policy of their own.

If you’re fronting and you’re found out, the insurer may refuse to pay out in the case of an accident and the parent may lose their NCD. In some cases the insurer may even pursue legal action for fraud.

Windscreen repair is the “GREEN” alternative to windscreen replacement, and can save you money.

Windscreen Repair can save your windscreen, which is about 1.4 square meters of glass and plastic, and takes up a great deal of energy and resources to manufacture, transport, and install into your vehicle.

Replacing the whole windscreen for the sake of a small windscreen repair is wastefull of those resources.

If you take an average sized damage of 12 mm. x 12 mm., think of the true replacement cost, and more importantly the savings that can be made to you and our future if you have your windscreen repair carried out by a local professional windscreen repairer, rather than have it replaced.

Having returned recently from Malta, having had a great time (and maybe a couple of beers!) all went to plan re flights etc with just the 1  delay where our plane had sucked in some birds on the way over! However, its easy to forget the potential pitfalls that can occur when things dont go to plan. I had purchased Holiday Insurance and this was also in the midst of the Ash cloud, which upon checking with my Insurers this occurance would have been covered regards delays etc.

There has been much press attention to this matter with many stranded for long priods of time etc. Although many passengers were angered by the lack of recompense given I still believe buying this type of insurance does give peace of mind to allow us to enjoy the time away. The ash cloud was an anomoly/unusual occurance and generally claims are met by insurers.