Lockdown: Motorists ‘Still Insured’ When Making Non-Essential Journeys
Despite reports to the contrary, drivers will be still be insured when using their cars to make ‘non-essential’ journeys over the course of the second national lockdown…
Covered For Non-Essential Journeys
Leading up to the second national lockdown, fears circulated that drivers wouldn’t be covered whilst making non-essential journeys. However, the UK’s car insurance industry has now confirmed that this is not the case. A spokesman for the Association of British Insurers recently confirmed that car insurance coverage would include the trips. They said, “motor insurers continue to cover those using their vehicle for commuting to work and NHS volunteering without you having to first tell them”. However, they did urge motorists to follow the government’s guidelines, “you should follow government restrictions, but if you do use your car for non-essential travel, you will not risk invalidating your car insurance”.
Fears were raised after comments were circulated in newspapers that drivers risked paying “thousands” if they crashed. Florence Codjoe, speaking on behalf of Uswitch.com told the Daily Mirror “you could end up paying thousands for repairs. If you’re unsure about cover during lockdown, speak to your insurer for clarification”. The comments were also shared in a number of other news sources, including ‘WalesOnline’, ‘Essex Live’ and ‘Manchester Evening News’. Naturally, whilst it’s always good to check your policy, it’s now known that the journeys won’t affect a driver’s coverage.
Clarifying The Situation
The Association of British Insurers is the definitive authority on matters of insurance in the UK; so it’s word can be relied upon. A number of individual car insurers have also weighed in one the matter, too. A spokesperson for LV= said, “customers may have read press stories online over the weekend suggesting that car insurance policies won’t be valid in the event a driver has an accident during lockdown”. They continued, “this is not the case for our car insurance customers and isn’t something they need to worry about. In the event they need to make a claim, we’ll support them as normal”.
Nevertheless, non-essential journeys are (as the name suggests) non-essential. As per the government’s guidelines, motorists should only use to their vehicles to purchase necessities, make use of vital public services (like GPs and hospitals) and to provide care to members of their support bubble. Unlike the first national lockdown, drivers can now take to parks and reserves in order to exercise and get fresh air, too.
Lockdown 2.0: Will There Be Another MOT Extension? – https://autoserveclub.co.uk/blog/lockdown-2-0-will-there-be-another-mot-extension/
Motorists Stand Opposed To Highway Code Changes – https://autoserve.co.uk/motoring-news/motorists-stand-opposed-to-highway-code-changes/
