Accident Repair Centre in Portsmouth

Tuesday 27 August 2013

VBRA - Code of Practice passes Trading Standards audit

The Vehicle Builders and Repairers Association (VBRA) recently had the operation of its code approval and conciliation processes scrutinised by the Trading Standards Institute (TSI) under the TSI Consumer Code Approval Scheme (CCAS).

VBRA's is the first code to be formally audited in this way since TSI took over the mantle of code approval from the OFT earlier in 2013.

After a thorough review of VBRA's processes, and interviews with the operating staff, TSI's report on VBRA's dealings with customer complaints says;

"VBRA's conciliation process is excellent [demonstrating] that they will provide additional support to consumers... [they] seek out and pay for independent experts to examine vehicles in order to resolve disputes.

"The very low number of disputes that reach arbitration (none in the last two years) is a reflection of the quality of the in-house conciliation service.

"VBRA are fulfilling their obligations as a code sponsor and ensure their members comply with the CCAS core criteria and their own code.
The in-house conciliation process is excellent and an example of best practice."

Commenting, Malcolm Tagg, VBRA Director General said

"The audit process was painless and endorses that what we have always done, regardless of external Code Approval, is good for customers and adds an extra comfort factor to inform motorists decision to use a VBRA member for their repair.

"We are fortunate our members are very good at what they do and very few complaints need to cross our desks – testament to the high regard in which they hold their customers and their dedication to getting it right first time."

Leon Livermore, Chief Executive, Trading Standards Institute said

"It is essential that TSI ensure code sponsors are complying with the requirements of the consumer codes approval scheme and that consumers can be reassured that the high standards of the scheme are being adhered to.
I would like to congratulate VBRA on their commitment to raising consumer standards."

Wednesday 21 August 2013

'crash for cash' - fraudsters admit £150,000 personal injury insurance con from coach crash

Liam Gray pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to defraud at Southwark Crown Court, while his friends Ben Carberry and Kevin Hamilton each pleaded guilty to one count.

The case came to court after Service Underwriting referred suspicions about whiplash claims from 30 people who had been travelling by coach to Belle Vue dog track in Manchester, in December 2011, to the City of London Police's Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED), triggering a criminal investigation.

The driver of the coach had told the insurer he was made to pull over on a roundabout at a junction of the M57 by passengers who said the coach had been hit from behind by a Renault Megane, even though he had felt no impact.

He reported that there was only very superficial damage to both vehicles, but that the passengers decided to cancel their trip saying they felt unwell and asked to be taken back to The Mons pub in Bootle where they had been picked up.

He said that before leaving the coach the entire group stated that they had been injured and gave him their details. He then watched as they ran across a dual carriageway and into the pub.

The insurer later established through a social networking site that Gray, Carberry and Hamilton all knew each other and had been to Everton football matches together.

IFED detectives travelled to Liverpool twice in 2012, arresting Gray and Carberry in June and Hamilton and Joe Hindley a month later.
They had found Gray hiding in a bathroom in Carberry's flat and at Gray's flat they seized Hamilton's driving licence and documents relating to the Renault.

Their investigation established that prior to the collision Gray had bought the Renault, along with insurance for Hamilton, and that Carberry had arranged and paid for the coach, as well as the group booking for the dog track.

They also identified that Hamilton had driven the Renault at very low speed into the back of the coach and that Carberry was Gray's contacts on the coach.

In November Gray was charged with two counts of conspiracy to defraud, while Carberry, Hamilton and Hindley were each charged with one count.

Gray, aged 26, of First Avenue in Fazakerley, was yesterday (Monday 19 August 2013) remanded in custody to appear at Southwark Crown Court at a later date.

Carberry, aged 20, of Old Hall Street in Liverpool city centre, and Hamilton, aged 35, of Asser Road in West Derby, will also be sentenced at the court at a later date.

Friday 16 August 2013

'Flash-for-cash' labelled as the new motor insurance scam

UK motorists are being warned about a new insurance scam, being labelled by anti-fraud experts as "flash-for-cash", whereby criminals flash their lights to let other drivers out of a junction, then crash into them on purpose, according to the BBC.

The gangs tend to target new, smarter vehicles or vulnerable road users, including older people and women with children in the car.

The scam is costing insurers hundreds of millions of pounds every year.

It is a new tactic for an already well established crime, called "crash for cash", where criminals slam on the brakes for no reason so that the victim drives into the back of their car.

Police investigators said the criminals will often remove the bulbs in their brake lights so other road users don't know they're stopping.

However, "flash-for-cash" is more crafty, because it is harder to prove in court, often coming down to the innocent driver's word against the criminal's that they flashed their lights to let them out.

Fake claims

Each "accident" can net the gangs tens of thousands of pounds in a variety of ways.

Firstly, they put in false personal injury claims for whiplash, sometimes including claims for people who were not even in the car. Added to that, they might charge the insurance company for loss of earnings, then they put in fake bills for vehicle storage, recovery, repairs, and replacement car hire.

Detective Inspector Dave Hindmarsh from the Metropolitan Police is an expert at catching them out. He says this kind of crime costs the industry a fortune and, as ever, it's the honest, insurance-paying motorist who is footing the bill.

"The problem is a growing problem. Financially it costs insurers £392m a year - that impacts on motorists as it's an extra £50 to £100 on every person's premium so that's a financial cost.

"[There are] emotional costs [as] if you're involved in a crash you could well lose your confidence, and if your passengers are children they may well become wary of being passengers in cars, and of course you may get injured or killed," he said.

This latest "flash-for-cash" warning has come from Asset Protection Unit (APU), a company which helps the police and the insurance industry investigate fraud. Neil Thomas at APU says the criminals pick on people who are not going to put up a fight,

"Perhaps single females in the car with children in the back, perhaps doing the school run. Where they know there's going to be no resistance, no real argument at the scene. The children are going to be upset".

Good intentions

Generally speaking, drivers are not meant to flash their lights to let people out onto busy roads. It is meant to be used as a warning.

The Highway Code says: "Flashing headlights. Only flash your headlights to let other road users know that you are there. Do not flash your headlights to convey any other message or intimidate other road users. Never assume that flashing headlights is a signal inviting you to proceed. Use your own judgement and proceed carefully."

However, the reality is that most people do use it as a friendly gesture, and law-abiding motorists feel it's a shame that something that is meant to be so positive, a rare show of good manners on the road, is now being abused by criminals.

The police and fraud experts believe that by raising awareness, and making people more wary, there is a good chance many drivers won't take the bait when the criminals lay a trap.

Monday 5 August 2013

Direct Line - Half of drivers ignore basic advice to prevent deadly tiredness at the wheel

Drivers are being advised to take simple steps to avoid falling asleep at the wheel as the holiday season starts and many families prepare for long distance travel to destinations across the UK and Europe.

Road safety charity Brake and Direct Line today reveal more than half of drivers (55%) are ignoring basic advice to take rest breaks at least every two hours on long journeys, while one in ten (9%) don't stop at all on long journeys unless they absolutely have to.

Many also admit failing to get enough sleep the night before a long journey, as less than half (45%) make sure they get at least seven hours' sleep.

Brake and Direct Line are warning families gearing up for long holiday journeys that too little sleep and too few breaks radically affects your ability to drive safely.

After five hours' sleep you only have a one in ten chance of staying fully awake on a lengthy journey.

The survey of 1,000 drivers from across the UK by Brake and Direct Line showed widespread complacency about the risks of tired drivers on long journeys.
It found:

- Male drivers are far more likely to drive for longer periods without stopping

- 14% of male drivers have driven for six hours or more without stopping, compared with 3% of female drivers.

- Half of male drivers (50%) have driven for four hours or more without stopping, compared with a third (31%) of females.

- A third of drivers (35%) admit sometimes or always trying to push on if they feel sleepy at the wheel. 38% of males do this compared to 31% of females.

Julie Townsend, deputy chief executive, Brake, the road safety charity, said:

"A large proportion of the driving public are scarily confident they can push on through on long drives without stopping.
In reality, regular breaks – at least every two hours – are essential for staying alert and awake, as is getting plenty of sleep the night before.

"Sleepiness can catch you unawares at the wheel and it only takes a couple of seconds on a motorway to cause absolute carnage.
The summer means long journeys for many families hoping to catch some sun at the coast or abroad. Brake is warning that to make sure you and your loved ones get there safely you need to allow plenty of time to take it easy, take regular rest breaks, and ensure you get a full night's sleep beforehand."

Rob Miles, head of Motor at Direct Line, commented:

"Tiredness and driving are a deadly combination. Not only is there a risk of falling asleep at the wheel, but when we are tired our reactions and awareness of our surroundings are not as sharp as they would normally be.
Whilst tired drivers may think that stopping for a break will increase their journey time, it's not worth the risk to themselves, their passengers or other road users. It is better to get there late than not to arrive at all."

The facts

Driver tiredness is one of the biggest killers on our roads. In the UK driver tiredness is estimated to cause one in five deaths on trunk roads. In 2011 in Great Britain it was reported 84 people were killed and 420 suffered serious injuries in tiredness related crashes, although the real figure could be higher, because it can be difficult to prove when a crash is caused by a driver falling asleep. They tend to be high-speed crashes, because drivers do not brake before crashing, so the risk of death or serious injury is greater.

Calls to government

Brake supports recent government proposals to allow drivers who oversleep at motorway service stations to pay for their parking retrospectively to avoid a fine.

But it calls for more to be done to help drivers by creating more stopping places for drivers to take a break and more government advertising on the risks of driving tired, raising awareness about the importance of not embarking on a journey while tired, and steps to take if you start to feel drowsy at the wheel. We also need greater crash protection on trunk roads, such as longer crash barriers over bridges, to reduce the severity of crashes if they do happen.

Action to tackle tired driving among fleet drivers is also needed because an estimated four in ten tired driver crashes involves a commercial vehicle driver. Brake recommends regular testing of people who drive for work for sleep apnoea, a treatable condition that makes falling asleep at the wheel much more likely, thought to be particularly widespread among HGV drivers. Brake also believes the rules controlling hours that can be driven by truck and bus drivers should be extended to cover fleet drivers in vans and cars.