Car insurance premiums have risen by 11.5% in the last three months alone. This has been mainly fuelled, according to the AA, by an increase in fraud. The average price for a comprehensive insurance premium now stands at £704.

Over the last year the prices of car insurance premiums have risen by 30.9%. But it is in the last three months that things have really started to get serious for Britain’s motorists.

The AA says that premiums are now rising at the fastest rate ever. The company has been tracking premiums across the UK for the past 16 years, so the fact that it has made such a bold statement cannot be taken lightly.

The worst hit has been for drivers under 30, for whom premiums rose by a massive 13.4% to £1,128 in the same three-month period.

The director of the AA, Simon Douglas, sparked controversy by claiming that price comparison websites were partly to blame for the increases in fraud because they make it easier for people obtaining quotes to provide false details. He claimed that this is possible because “it is much easier to manipulate information on a computer screen to find the cheapest price” than it would be face to face with sales staff.

However, Paul Lawler from Moneysupermarket.com disagreed with the suggestion, blaming instead the higher number of claims that are being made through personal injury firms. He said that fraud could just as easily be committed through an insurance company’s own website.

Whatever the reasons for the rising premiums, the AA warned of the consequences for those who are found to be attempting insurance fraud, stating that it will be very difficult for them to find insurance in the future, and will be much more expensive.
Battery recycling rates seem to have been given a boost as a result of new EU legislation, according to recent figures from the Environment Agency.

The agency revealed that there has been a 7% rise in battery recycling rates over the last three months. In total, 16.5% of portable batteries were recycled in the second quarter of 2010, compared to just 9.15% in the first quarter.

In terms of volume, that equates to nearly 1,500 tonnes of batteries being sent for recycling between April and June of this year, and 2,320 tonnes being sent for recycling over the first half of the year.

It is likely that this sudden rise is linked to the new EU rules surrounding the recycling of batteries that came into force back in February 2010. The new laws made it a legal obligation for shops selling over 32kg of batteries a year to provide free battery collection points for batteries to be sent for recycling.

It is all good news for the government which has specific targets it has to reach over the course of the next few years. The target for this year is 10%, and it looks like this will be met as recycling rates are predicted to rise in the lead-up to Christmas. Indeed, the recycling rate for the first half of the year stands at 12.58%.

The next target is an 18% recycling rate for 2011, followed by the first legally binding rate of 25% the following year. Following that, a target of 45% has to be hit by 2016, so the government will hope that the rate continues to rise over the next few years.

Sainsbury’s Car Insurance has suggested that millions of motorists could be at risk of breaking the law whilst they are driving abroad, without even knowing it.

The insurer carried out a survey regarding driving habits abroad and discovered that:

• One in three Brits heading to France were not planning on taking a reflective jacket (which is required by French law)
• 15% were not going to take a warning triangle (something again required by law in the event of a breakdown, which is also the case in Spain and Holland)
• 30% of motorists were not planning on taking proof of ownership, which is legally required in a number of European countries

The insurer also warned that radar detectors, which are used to detect speed traps, are not allowed in several countries, including Switzerland and Belgium, even if the devices are turned off.

Drivers who use glasses are also required by law to carry a spare pair in the car when driving in a number of countries including Switzerland and Spain.

The car insurance manager at Sainsbury’s, Ben Tyte, said that drivers need to prepare themselves for more than driving on the other side of the road due to the different laws in each country.

Sainsbury’s also issued a warning over fully-comprehensive insurance policies, stating that if car owners fail to inform their insurer that they are going abroad, their policies could automatically be reduced to third-party insurance.

So, if you are heading abroad, always inform your insurer and always carefully check the driving laws of the country you are heading to so that you can make a few simple arrangements to avoid getting into trouble.

With the peak holiday season in full swing, AXA Insurance have issued a warning to those of us taking to the roads. Their research reveals that 10% of us have an accident on our way to or from our holiday and their statistics are also able to show us what the most dangerous days for driving are likely to be.

It seems that as a general rule Fridays are the worst day, with accidents rising by 8.5% above the normal summer average. Saturdays are the next worst, with Mondays being the safest day to drive.

Worst of all is the period following the August Bank Holiday, with the four days from 31 Aug to 3 Sept likely to have 31% more accidents than the summer average. If you have to drive around that time perhaps you should consider doing so on the Bank Holiday itself or the day before when accidents are likely to be down 60%.

One in ten of us will have an accident en route to or from our holiday in the UK, whilst those heading for foreign shores are not immune, with 7% having an accident on their way to or from the airport, railway station or ferry terminal.

As far as the cause of accidents is concerned, top of the list of contributory factors were tiredness, unfamiliar roads, over-loaded cars and crotchety children.

A few simple tips can reduce the stress and therefore the likelihood of having an accident:

• Plan your route ahead and check for traffic problems.
• Have plenty of stops.
• Make sure your car is in good working order and have breakdown cover just in case.
• Pack drinks and snacks to avoid dehydration and low blood sugar, both of which affect concentration.
• Be aware that some drugs – e.g. anti-histamines – can make you drowsy.
• Make sure the kids have plenty of entertainment to keep themselves amused.
• Do not be tempted to use your mobile whilst driving.
• Wear sensible shoes – flip flops and some loose fitting sandals can cause an accident.

Parents of young learner drivers often find themselves caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place. They are keen for their offspring to pass their driving test (no more turning out late at night to provide the parental taxi service and no more forking out for driving lessons), but insuring the family car for a teenager to put in the requisite practice between lessons can turn out to be a costly business.

Not only can the added premium run into hundreds of pounds, but there is also the worry that in the case of an accident the no-claims discount could be affected.

But now the AA has come up with the answer to these parents’ prayers. Their new policy, Learner Driver Insurance, introduced as a joint venture between the AA and Collingwood Insurance provides comprehensive cover for a learner driver for a cost of £96.50 for the first 28 days and then £76.50 for subsequent 28-day periods, so long as the learner driver is introduced by an official AA instructor.

The insurance, which can be for as short a period as a week, is in the learner’s name and so does not affect the parent’s policy.

This may still seem expensive but when compared with formal lessons at around £20 an hour it is in fact a small price to pay.

Just in case parents feel that they are not up to the job of giving their offspring extra practice, fearing that they may pass on their own bad habits, the AA Driving School has started offering a two-hour course for anyone wishing to help out a learner.

Entitled the ‘Supporting Learner Drivers Course’, it does exactly what it says on the tin, “brushing up your knowledge and skills to help you coach the learner in between their lessons with an approved driving instructor”.

Co-Operative Insurance has released the results of its latest survey revealing the bad driving habits of Britons. Whereas none of the results are particularly revealing, it does provide a good overall picture of what people will do whilst driving even though they know they are putting themselves and others at risk.

Some of the negative behaviours uncovered by the survey included:

• eating whilst driving
• finishing getting dressed when in a rush
• putting on make-up at the wheel

Overall, 3,000 people were polled. Of these, 54% admitted to bad habits whilst driving. In total:

• 53% admit to eating or drinking whilst driving
• 12% smoke behind the wheel
• 11% prepare for meetings
• 7% speak on mobile phones
• 6% put on make-up or get dressed

The survey also looked into the reasons why drivers end up speeding. It discovered that 46% of drivers are prone to speeding when they are late for work, and that 43% of drivers will sometimes go over the speed limit when they are in a bad mood.

Other times when drivers go over the speed limit include when they need the toilet, when they are tired or when they are driving on motorways.

Grant Mitchell from Co-Operative Insurance said that the results show that drivers across the UK are “unnecessarily increasing the chances of causing or being involved in an accident.” He reminded motorists that whilst eating a sandwich may seem like a harmless action, it leads drivers to take their full concentration off driving, which “could result in a road traffic accident which could change lives forever.”