Industry News

Van cloning is becoming an increasing problem throughout Europe, affecting consumers purchasing used vehicle. Cloning involves the copying of the identity of a similar (non-stolen) van that is already road worthy. Criminals find an exact match of the van they have stolen; they then copy the identity, therefore making it looks legal by using false number plates.

So, how do you know your newly purchased vehicle is cloned?

You may receive fines or charges, which you are not responsible for, such as speeding tickets for places you have never been with your van. These charges and fines are the result of someone else using your registration mark, suggesting it could have been cloned.

 What does the process on cloning entail?

Firstly, criminals will copy a vehicle identification number (VIN) from a legally owned and documented vehicle sitting in a parking lot or van dealership, oftentimes high-value vans. The legitimate VIN is then used to create a counterfeit VIN tag, frequently multiple times. Thieves then steal a similar vehicle as the legally owned one from the parking lot, and replace the stolen vehicle’s VIN tag with the counterfeit one containing the non-stolen vans identification numbers. The stolen vehicle is now a “clone” of the legitimate one and can be titled without detection by government agencies.

How does this affect van insurance?

Research from HPI; found that the Ford Transit Van is the second most cloned van in the UK. The Mercedes C class, Audi A4 and the BMW 3 series were also highly cloned. This could impact the van insurance premium offered on insurance providers.

Van insurance customers, who purchase second hand vans, should be aware of this form of fraudulent and illegal activity. Though the van may be a good purchase, being a cloned vehicle could affect the legality of the vehicle and the insurance policy.

Prevention & precautions

• Check the vehicle’s VIN with government agencies and your state bureau of motor vehicles.

• Have a private company conduct a vehicle history search.

• Trust your instincts: if a used vehicle deal sounds too good to be true, there’s always a catch.

The number of uninsured drivers is expected to rise as there is an increase in motor premiums of an inflation-busting 6%.

On average, it is likely that an additional £22 will be added to car and van insurance policies however, this could rise by as much as £105 for a newly qualified young driver.

Young inexperienced drivers are already facing insurance bills of up to £1,750 a year which is leading to an increase in young drivers driving without adequate car or van insurance.

The average fine for driving without valid car or van insurance is £250 and has been described has 'an incentive to lawbreaking' because it represents a quarter of what young drivers have to pay out for an insurance policy.

Astonishingly, two million untaxed, unlicensed and uninsured 'rogue' drivers are present in the UK according to Government figures.

Price comparison site comparethemarket.com says UK, ‘drivers are paying more than £500m a year to cover for uninsured drivers, an average of £31 per driver.

Jeremy Moll of comparethemarket.com said: 'The Government must act to reduce the number of illegal drivers on Britain's roads through more severe penalties. If the number of illegal drivers decreases, the industry will have more flexibility in pricing policies for law-abiding motorists.'

If you require a highly competitive van insurance quote, please click here.

Constructaquote have launched a brand new small business support package with leading legal services provider ARAG.  This fantastic new product is a combination of legal services and insurance designed to offer support and complete peace of mind for small businesses.

Why do I need this small business support?

•    There has been an increase in business related legislation, particularly employment law
•    There has been an increase in employees’ awareness of legal rights and willingness to pursue them
•    Increasingly small businesses need to seek legal advice/support
•    Solicitors costs have risen in recent years
•    It allows to budget for unforeseen legal costs

Legal services

Included within the legal services aspect of the package is legal document xax. This revolutionary web service enables businesses to draft bespoke business legal documentation covering everything from employment contracts to debt recovery letters. 

There is however, the back up of a business, legal and tax advice line 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. 

Legal insurance

If a business needs the expertise of a solicitor to deal with a dispute, the policy provides up to £100,000 of cover for a number of areas including:

1. Employment disputes and compensation awards - Covering all employment legislation with a past, present or prospective employee
2. Tax protection - Including HM Revenue & Custom investigations into your business and personal tax affairs of directors and partners
3. Property protection - Including nuisance and trespass claims
4. Compliance and regulation - Including defence of health and safety prosecutions (improvement and statutory notices) and criminal prosecutions
5. Employees’ extra protection – Employee defence against unlawful discrimination
6. Contract & debt recovery - Contract disputes and debt recovery covering actions relating to the purchase, hire purchase, lease or maintenance of goods or services providing the amount in dispute exceeds £5000

Quotes are available from www.constructaquote.com

Recent research has highlighted that van drivers are the safest on UK roads.

The research conducted by Tesco found that there were fewer and smaller van insurance claims (including courier services) made than by any other vehicle users.  The study also showed that 20% of van drivers had undergone further driving training such as advanced driving or specialist training courses.

Following these findings, a spokesman for the supermarket stated that the stereotypical view of van drivers as being the most dangerous on the road was completely outdated.

He said: "Van drivers are often stereotyped as rogues of the road. However, our own records show that van drivers are actually very safe drivers and in our eyes they deserve a good insurance rate."

The study concluded that van drivers including couriers were seven times less likely to be involved in a motorway accident as other road users.

Constructaquote views road safety, as with all issues of health and safety, with the utmost importance. Van drivers with good driving records can receive great discounts on their van insurance quotes through Constructaquote.com. Constructaquote.com also offer a full suite of commercial insurance products including public and employer’s liability insurance and goods in transit insurance.

Moorhouse Group the company behind Constructaquote.com has launched Moorhouse Brands, which aims to do with commercial insurance what personal lines insurers have done with supermarket brands.

The new venture will offer larger, established non-insurance and insurance brands a complete package allowing them to sell own-brand commercial insurance products to existing SME customers. This includes an own-brand call centre and website featuring full quote and buy functions. Proactive web and telemarketing support is also included to mine existing customer bases and actively generate leads.

Moorhouse Brands, which will operate as a trading subsidiary of the Moorhouse Group, is currently in discussions with a number of well known brands and full details will be announced in the coming months. The proposition is scalable to cope with peaks in demand when organisations join and as the business itself expands.

Moorhouse chairman Lyndon Wood said: “Arrangements like this are well known in personal lines, but for brands wanting to offer commercial insurance products there are surprisingly few comprehensive packages on offer. So there is great potential for firms with a recognisable name to maximise the value of their brand by offering a range of commercial insurance products to their SME customers.”

Startling new research has shown that a third of all start up businesses are operating without business insurance.  According to research conducted by Insurantz.com the main reason for this is that business owners do not have the time to complete and understand insurance paperwork.  

It is highly advised that all businesses have public liability insurance.  Without this, businesses are leaving themselves wide open to insurance claims that could ruin a business.  However if businesses employ temporary workers or sub contractors it is a legal requirement to have employer’s liability insurance and they face fines of up to £2,500 a day if it is discovered that they do not have this cover. 

According to the research, almost three quarters of start up businesses surveyed considered having a memorable business name, a good website and attractive marketing material to be more important than insuring their business.  

The main reason suggested why businesses held business insurance in such a low regard was due to the fact that there are lots of forms to fill in and that business insurance is ‘too time consuming and overly complicated’

Constructaquote.com understands the pressures faced by start up businesses and as such our quick and easy to use quote and buy facility allows you to insure your business in a matter of minutes and download policy documents instantaneously.   If for any reason you feel that you don’t understand any of the insurance products on offer please feel free to call one of our dedicated sales members on 08081 68 68 68  who will be more than happy to explain anything to you.

 

The Health & Safety of employees should be one of the highest priorities for businesses within the UK Construction Industry.  However, with the introduction of the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007, on 6th April 2008, companies are now being urged to examine their health & safety procedures in further detail.

According to preliminary figures from the Health & Safety Executive the number of people fatally injured on UK construction sites in 2007 has dropped to 70 from 77 in 2006.

During 2005 there were only 59 fatalities in the construction industry and to deal with the 2006 increase, the Health & Safety Executive launched campaigns to proactively tackle the issue (One last summer and one in February 2008).  During the campaigns nearly 500 prohibition notices were issued as result of HSE Officers visiting 2,400 construction sites and just over 3,000 contractors.

The Health & Safety Executive has found that slips and trips were accountable for most injuries at the workplace, whereas falls from height are the most common cause of serious and fatal injury.

Constructaquote believes that good health and safety practices are paramount to the success of any business, regardless of the industry they operate in.  Good health and safety procedures will improve productivity of staff, reduce absenteeism and reduce the risk of employer’s liability insurance claims.  As part of Constructaquote.com’s drive to ensure good health & safety we offer discounts on public and employers liability insurance to companies with good health and safety records.

 

With the new legislation coming into effect on Sunday 6th April, UK companies are being forced to make health and safety procedures their top priority. Whereas in the past companies would usually go unpunished for deaths at work as new law means that courts can take a wider perspective and view the collective actions of senior management rather than looking for an individual to blame.

The new law will affect all companies, organisations and Government bodies and if it deemed that a person’s death is the result of gross negligence of the senior management, unlimited fines and criminal records can be issued. Although unlimited fines are already in place for other health and safety legislation the thought is that fines for this will be in the region of 2.5% - 10% of the annual turnover. The courts also will have the power to publicise the conviction and release all the details about the case.

The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 is due to have a massive impact on construction companies as in 2006/07, 32% of all employee deaths (241 in total) occurred in the construction industry. Disturbingly however there have only been 34 prosecutions and 6 convictions since 1992 according to the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service)

How to protect your business:

• Strict management of sub-contractors with an emphasis on their health and safety credentials before employment
• Proactive health and safety procedures and officers onsite to police them
• Ensuring senior management have appropriate insurance in place (such as employer’s liability insurance)
• Clear and visible health and safety signage

Ensuring good health and safety procedures is mostly common sense and installing a proactive attitude in staff members is key to avoiding accidents at work. Constructaquote.com even rewards companies with good health and safety records in reducing the premiums on public and employer’s liability insurance policies.

 

Recent research conducted by Constructaquote.com has revealed some interesting facts about the types of people who make the most liability insurance claims. The research involved looking at the occupations of liability insurance claimants and the study involved over 20,000 trades people.

On average, it was the building profession that reported the largest public and employers liability claims. However, it was the plumbing profession that made the most claims closely followed by Carpenters and Electricians. Plasterers reported the least amount of liability insurance claims.

There are two types of liability insurance. The first is public liability insurance and this is designed to protect members of the public. If a member of the public is injured through the work conducted on your premises then you or your business can be held liable for any damages suffered. A public liability insurance claim will therefore cover the injured person’s compensation, legal expenses and hospital fees. Although public liability insurance isn’t a legal requirement it is highly recommended as public liability claims can run into millions of pounds and have serious consequences on a business.

The second type of liability insurance is employer’s liability insurance. For any business operating in the UK it is a legal requirement to have employer’s liability insurance if you have one or more employees. This type of liability insurance allows businesses to pay for compensation and legal fees for injuries that occur while at work though the fault of the employer.

It is very important when a claim is made to deal with it as soon as possible. For example if a business puts in a claim for loss of earnings due to something that was your fault then the compensation claims can continue to grow. Also having your business in local media as not paying a claimant as quickly as possible is only going to have a negative effect on your company and could damage your recruitment opportunities in the future.

Constructaquote.com offers a fantastic liability insurance product that combines public liability insurance and employers liability insurance for complete peace of mind. The liability insurance products available through Constructaquote.com encompass many unique benefits that will not be found anywhere else in the market.

Other products available through Constructaquote.com include commercial van insurance, goods in transit insurance, plant and material insurance and a new business support package which provides legal insurance to fully protect your business. For more information about our liability insurance offering or any of the other fantastic products available.

Speed Bumps were first introduced as a measure to slow traffic and reduce the risk of accidents. Seventeen years later and most motorists see them as an annoying obstacle in the road, in fact recent research showed that 87% of UK motorists would prefer to have them removed altogether.

One of the reasons for so many people holding such a point of view is that speed bumps can cause damage to car and especially van exhausts (when fully laden), radiators and suspension thus resulting in expensive car and van insurance claims. In fact more than 30% of MOT failures each year are a result of suspension damage. Others argue that speed bumps are very uncomfortable to drive over especially for drivers with conditions such as osteoporosis.

There are devices now that van drivers in particular can install to their vans to prevent their vehicles sinking, dipping and ‘bottoming out’ when fully laden. Suspension muscle kits can be easily installed to a van which prevent the vehicle sinking when carrying a full load. Such devices help ensure not only a comfortable ride, but improve road handling which in turn lessens the likelihood of accidents and ultimately van insurance claims.

Whichever point of view you hold whether speed bumps are a nuisance or a road safety necessity, one thing is certain - they are here to stay.

Constructaquote views road safety, as with all issues of Health and Safety, with the utmost importance. Van drivers with good driving records can receive great discounts on their van insurance quotes through Constructaquote. Constructaquote also offer a full suite of Commercial Insurance products including Public and Employer’s Liability Insurance, Goods In Transit Insurance, Plant & Material Insurance and Legal Expenses Insurance designed to cover your business in any legal matter.

During February the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) carried out more than 1000 spot checks on sites being refurbished across the UK. The results were so bad that 30% of sites were ordered to stop work immediately. The potential cost to the companies in question could have been millions of pounds in employer’s liability insurance claims had anything happened in what the HSE described as a ‘blatant disregard for safety’.

As well the closure of 30% of sites, a further 395 enforcement notices were issued meaning that vast improvements are required for safe operations. The results from February’s inspections are similar to that of last summer’s campaign which issued enforcement notices to 1 out of every 3 sites.

A Health & Safety spokesperson stated that the 30% of inspected sites were closed as it was felt that there was a real and imminent threat that life could be lost or ruined through serious injury. If this had happened Employer’s Liability Insurance claims could seriously damage businesses not only through the insurance claim but through the damage to the company’s reputation.

The spokesperson went on to mention that poor health & safety standards would not be tolerated whether at a building site or any other place of work. The HSE strives to protect all workers through closing sites with unacceptable safety standards) and prosecuting those responsible for them.

Constructaquote fully supports the HSE’s efforts for improving Health and Safety in the Construction Industry. We offer not only offer free Health and Safety advice but give excellent discounts on Public and Employers Liability Insurance if a company can display a good Health and Safety record.

Amazingly, it’s been a year since penalties for using hand held mobile phones were introduced. What’s more amazing is that almost half of UK motorists are jeopardising their car or van insurance premiums by continuing the practice. New research involving 2,000 UK motorists found that 45% of drivers admitted to sending a text whilst driving.

Since the introduction of the penalties if you are caught using a mobile phone while driving you would receive a £60 fine and 3 penalty points on your licence (which can not only have serious effects on your car or van insurance premiums, but your eligibility to drive under the ‘totting up’ rule). However such penalties seem to have little effect with only 11% of motorists admitting to switching their phone to mute or off whilst behind the wheel.

According to this research the highest levels of sending SMS whilst driving are in London with 53% of participants admitting so. The lowest levels were reported in Aberdeen, Glasgow, Bristol and Edinburgh.

In spite of these incredible figures, 75% of people believe that using a mobile phone whilst driving endangers people’s health and safety. Findings unveiled by Road Safety Minister Jim Fitzpatrick also found that the use of mobile phone behind the wheel makes you up to four times more likely to be involved in an accident.

Constructaquote.com actively promotes good health and safety methods whether it be whilst driving or in a working environment. As such we offer discounts on our all our insurance products whether it be Van Insurance, Public Liability Insurance, Goods In Transit Insurance or Plant & Material Insurance

Insurance Industry Experts have spoken out today about public liability insurance and the impact it has on UK business. They are now urging employers to ensure they have adequate liability insurance to cover any costs of personal accident claims. They have spoken out to outline the dangers of not being covered with respect to being unable to pay claims that could arise. Public and Employer’s Liability claims can run into millions of pounds and force businesses to close unless they are adequately covered.

Although public liability insurance is not a legal requisite, it is highly recommended that all businesses are adequately covered. Research completed back in 2003 found that many customers who hire trades people to complete renovations in their homes actually insist on them having public liability insurance.

Liability insurance only becomes a legal requisite if you have people working for you. Employer’s Liability Insurance provides insurance cover against any claims by an employee as a result of their employer’s negligence.

To ensure that your business is completely covered Constructaquote.com offers you the complete liability insurance package. When choosing a tailor-made liability insurance quote from Constructaquote.com you will have the option to choose from a panel of top UK insurers and to ensure complete peace of mind you can have both Public and Employers Liability Insurance in one policy to cover every eventuality.

Recent research has indicated the majority of van insurance customers believe their commercial vehicle is essential to the survival of their business.

The study conducted by the AA involved 200 commercial van insurance clients in the UK. It found that 59% of clients thought that the loss of their van would hurt their business with almost a quarter believed they would lose money.

The survey highlights the significance of the commercial van to the UK industry and how the loss of a business’ vehicle would severely damage earnings therefore indicating the importance of having adequate van insurance. The research also revealed the following key trades for which the commercial van is most popular: Builders, Couriers, Shopkeepers and Electricians. It also showed that 35% of van insurance customers and commercial van drivers were women.

Constructaquote understands the importance of Commercial Vans and their contents to the UK Economy. As such Constructaquote offer unbeatable rates on Goods In Transit and Commercial Van Insurance.

New research commissioned by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) found a clear correlation between the investment companies made in Health and Safety training and the amount of accidents that occurred. The study which included evidence from 101 contractors (employing over 200,00 construction workers) found that companies that vet sub contractors had a 60% lower accident rate than those who don’t.

The study, which is the first of its kind conducted in the UK, suggests that investment in Health & Safety personnel and procedures is not only beneficial to staff but actually good for business. Such measures reduce Employment absenteeism, and a good Health & Safety record will be favoured by Insurance Companies as this could potentially indicate a reduction in future Employer Liability claims.

However IOSH officials have pointed out that it is important that Health & Safety consultants are firstly qualified because currently the profession is not legally regulated, which means anyone can call themselves a Health & Safety ‘Expert’ without any training (the IOSH is currently petitioning for UK – wide legal standards for everyone employed in the Health & Safety profession).

The employment of under qualified Health and Safety personnel was shown in the study to be counter productive as the study found that on average the more qualified in Health and Safety the Line Manager on site resulted in a lower the accident rate.

 

Constructaquote.com recognises the need for good Health and Safety and rewards companies with good Health and Safety records with additional discounts on public and Employer’s Liability insurance premiums.

In a bid to cut the amount of pollution and increase air quality many European cities have initiated Low Emission Zones. Cities like Berlin, Cologne, Hanover and Milan have all introduced such measures with many more European cities joining in later in the year. London has the most ambitious plan with the ‘London Low Emission Zone (LEZ)’ initiative covering the whole of Greater London making it the largest LEZ in the world. The idea behind the proposal is to get the worst polluting commercial vans, buses and coaches off the city streets with penalty charges of £200 per day and fines of £1000. The LEZ will affect diesel engine buses, coaches, minibuses and commercial vans and lorries exceeding 1.205 tonnes (unladen weight). The introduction of the LEZ will be staggered from February 2008 until January 2012 but will also include specialist vehicles ranging from motorised horse boxes to refuse collection vehicles The Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone is using this initiative to encourage businesses to clean up their commercial vans and fleets. According to Transport for London (TfL) figures this £600 million campaign is likely to improve air quality in the London area by 11.6% by 2010. Constructaquote can offer rates on commercial van insurance and can further reduce these costs if you are insuring more than 3 commercial vehicles. For a highly competitive van insurance quote please click here.

The DVLA and NCP started an initiative back in May 2006 with the goal of removing untaxed vehicles from the roads as they are seen as a danger to the general public. Incidentally many vehicles found without tax are also without insurance and MOT’s.

Thanks to a new fleet of NCP monitoring vans, a record number of untaxed vehicles are now being removed from UK roads. As many as 9,000 vehicles are now being removed a month with annual figures expected to hit 100,000.

These new NCP vans are now fitted with Automatic Number Plate Reader (ANPR) technology allowing them to scan up to 10,000 vehicles a day. This information is then fed through wanted lists issued by the DVLA and the Police.

Vehicles found to be without a valid tax disc are likely to be clamped, towed and in some cases crushed. A DVLA spokeswoman did however state that such action would only be taken against offenders who have no intention of purchasing tax as opposed to people who have missed their renewal date by a few days.

In order to have a clamp removed from a vehicle the owner must produce a valid tax disc and pay a release fee of £80. In order to get a vehicle released after it has been towed and impounded the owner must pay a £160 fee plus storage fees of £15 per day as well as producing a valid tax disc or surety payment. A surety payment acts as a deposit for your tax and will cost £120 for a car or motorcycle and up to £600 for other vehicles. This payment will be refunded once your vehicle has been taxed and a valid tax disc produced. If however a valid tax disc is produced within 2 weeks you will forfeit the surety payment.

Unclaimed vehicles that have been impounded are likely to be crushed after a 7-day period.

This new zero tolerance approach will also help reduce the amount of illegal and unsafe vehicles on the road. This is due to the fact that a tax disc can only be purchased with a valid car, motorcycle or van insurance certificate and MOT.

If you require a highly competitive commercial van insurance quote please click here Constructaquote also offers a variety of commercial insurance products including Goods In Transit, Plant and Material and Public and Employer’s Liability Insurance.

With new regulations coming into force over the next couple of years to combat climate change, the cost of building new homes is going to increase. Challenges such as energy efficiency, carbon footprints and waste emissions are now leading the construction industry to look for alternative building techniques in order to keep costs down.

As a result an increasing number of UK construction companies are now resorting to the use of timber frame in the building of residential homes. In fact the timber home market has increased at a rate of 10% per year since 2004, this figure has passed the 50% mark for Scotland.

As timber is a lightweight material, timber frame home construction requires much less groundwork beforehand reducing the energy requirements needed. Also once the homes are built they offer remarkable thermal efficiency reducing the ongoing costs of fuel to heat it.

The use of timber as a major construction material will not only benefit the environment but also the economy. An increased demand for local timber will not only generate more jobs but also reduce the transport costs incurred by construction companies.

Before you begin any commercial construction project it is essential that you have sufficient commercial insurance including liability insurance. If you require a highly competitive public liability insurance quote please click here. Constructaquote also provides highly competitive, Goods In Transit, Plant & Material and Van Insurance Quotes.

The cost of uninsured motoring in the UK has reached approximately £500,000,000 each year according to the Association of British Insurers. To compensate for this, insured motorists are having to pay in excess of £350,000,000 in extra insurance premiums.

In research conducted by the British Insurance Broker’s Association (Biba) concluded that the likelihood of an uninsured motorist being involved in an accident is eight times greater than that of an insured driver. These staggering figures have resulted in insured motorists having to pay an extra £30 per year in insurance premiums.

The Motor Insurer’s Bureau (MIB) believes that the demographic group most likely to drive without insurance is young males. Even through programmes designed to raise awareness of the importance of having adequate car, motorcycle or van insurance many still don’t understand the risks and consequences of driving uninsured. The MIB’s figures show that 15% of drivers admitting to driving without insurance were between 17 and 21 years of age and even more astonishing 48% were under 30.

Car, motorcycle and van insurance is not only a legal requirement but if you are caught driving without adequate insurance you are likely to receive penalty points on your licence plus a fine. Penalty points on your licence will not only have a detrimental effect on your ability to drive legally in the UK (thus affecting your business) but will also increase your insurance premiums when it comes to renewal.

If you require a highly competitive van insurance quote please click here.