Over 2 million motorists carry out of date licence

There are over two million motorists in the UK who are currently driving with an out of date driving licence.  Most drivers believe that their new style licence is for life but the licence actually expires after a set period and has to be renewed, in fact photocard licences must be renewed every ten years.

It is a good idea to dig your licence out and do a quick check and avoid a £ 1000 fine. There are a few dates printed on the photocard, but the one you are looking for it the photo expiry date printed on section 4b on the front of the card.  If you find it is out of date then you need to renew it, the process is the same as if you were replacing a lost or stolen licence, you can either apply online, providing you've a had a new digital passport issued in the last five years (it'll use the same photo as on your passport), by post or in person at selected post offices (this does incur an extra cost of £ 4.50 on top of the £ 20 fee).

Check name and address

When checking that date on your licence also check that you have the correct address on it. It is free to change your address and you still risk the £ 1000 fine if it has not been updated. It has been reported that over 2.6 million motorists have not updated their driving licence with their current address and 3% of married women had an out-of-date name on their licence, which can also incur a £ 1,000 fine.

The first batch of ten year photo licences was issued in July 1998 so if you received your licence that year your licence will most certainly be out of date.

The DVLA state that drivers are allowed to continue driving if they have failed to renew before the expiry date but they ‘could’ be charged with ‘failing to surrender their licence’ which is an offence carrying the  £ 1000 fine.  The Association of British Insurers and the Department of Transport said that insurance cover was not affected if drivers failed to update their photocard. It's also worth noting the DVLA advises any driver travelling abroad to carry a photocard licence, rather than the older all-paper version, whilst this isn't obligatory, it may make your journey easier where required.

- See more at: http://www.motoring.co.uk/car-news/over-2-million-motorists-carry-out-of-date-licence_57847#sthash.sd595zDh.dpuf

HPI - warn that they check 625 cars a day which are revealed to be an insurance write-off

HPI urges used car buyers to protect themselves against the threat of purchasing a potential death trap masquerading as a bargain.

One in 33 vehicles checked by HPI, in 2012, was an insurance total loss - otherwise known as a write-off.

This equates to 625 cars a day or over 223,000 cars per year being dangerously repaired and sold on to unsuspecting consumers.

Don't take the risk, warns HPI, get a vehicle history check, such as the HPI Check to confirm if a vehicle has a hidden past.

All vehicles that are written off are put in to one of four categories, depending on the level of its condition.
The categories include cars that can be repaired and returned to the road, or ones that are recommended to be totally scrapped and never allowed back on the road again.

It is not illegal to repair or return 'written off for salvage' vehicles back to the road as long as the seller declares the facts and provides evidence that the car has passed a Vehicle Identity Check (VIC).

However, says HPI, a lack of good quality second hand cars for sale, means unscrupulous sellers are using a variety of ways of conning used car buyers out of their money.

Daniel Burgess, Managing Director for HPI explains,

"Criminals continue to capitalise on a shortage of used cars for sale by disguising write-offs as a good buy.
It's all too easy to be taken in by shiny paintwork and a low price, but it could be hiding a multitude of faults that haven't been fixed.
Unscrupulous vendors will sell a write-off to make a quick profit but if the vehicle is not properly repaired any price is too high."

An HPI Check will give a used car buyer the complete picture of a vehicle's history, including revealing if the car has been an insurance write-off and if so, which category.
This offers protection from paying good money for a vehicle that is not fit for purpose and a possible safety risk.

Daniel Burgess concludes,
"A check against HPI's registers will tell you if the car has ever been written-off.
However, we recommend that anyone looking to buy a car that has been declared an insurance write-off should seek to have it independently checked by Autolign or Thatcham to ensure that it is in fact road worthy before they part with their cash."

The ABI Categories of 'Write off'

Category A

Scrap only - i.e. with few or no economically salvageable parts and of value only for scrap metal e.g. total burnouts. These vehicles should not appear on the road.

Category B

Break for spare parts if economically viable. These vehicles should not reappear on the road.

Category C

Repairable total loss vehicles where repair costs exceed the vehicle's pre-accident value.

Category D

Repairable total loss vehicles where repair costs do not exceed the vehicle's pre-accident value.

The HPI Check includes a mileage check against the National Mileage Register (NMR) as standard, now with over 160 million mileage readings.
HPI also confirms whether a vehicle is currently recorded as stolen with the police, has outstanding finance against it or has been written-off, making it the best way for consumers to protect themselves from fraudsters looking to make a fast profit.

In addition, the HPI Check offers a £40,000 Guarantee in the event of the information it provides being inaccurate, offering added financial peace of mind to used car buyers.

- All cars written-off, excluding Category D write offs, must pass a Vehicle Identity Check (VIC) with the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA).

- Insurers notify the DVLA of all cars 'written off' within salvage categories A, B, C and D.

- This notification will set a 'VIC marker' against the DVLA vehicle record for Category A, B and C write-off.

- While a VIC marker remains set, DVLA won't issue a registration certificate V5C, or vehicle license reminder V11.

- VOSA carries out the VIC which is designed to confirm the car's identity, not its road worthiness.

- This helps to ensure that the genuine car is returned to the road in a bid to reduce the problem of ringing - when stolen cars are given the identity of a written-off vehicle.

- The VIC marker will only be removed when the car passes a VIC test by VOSA.

Car park scratches cost UK drivers £500 million

Parking spaces that are too small are costing motorists over £500 million a year in repair bills for damaged paintwork.

A new study from Halfords and paint renovation experts G3 Pro has revealed that over 10 million car owners have suffered annoying scuffs or scratches as a result of unwanted contact in car parks over the past year – with two thirds of them having to pay more than £50 to fix bodywork.

Car doors are the most likely area to suffer scrapes as a result, accounting for 50% of reported damage, followed by bumpers (14%) and wings (13%).

Halfords paint protection expert David Howells said: "There is a squeeze on the nation's car parks and the consequences are hitting frustrated motorists in the wallet.

"The majority of drivers we questioned blamed their scratches and repair costs on inconsiderate drivers parking too close to them but our research shows that the size of parking spaces is leaving them little choice."

Despite the size of the average car growing – as manufacturers strive to offer more interior space, crash protection and comfort - Transport Department rules governing car park space sizes have remained the same since 1994.

The width of cars has increased by around 16% over the same period, making the average British car 2 inches wider than the 1.80m (5ft 11in) minimum parking space - that's 40mm smaller than a Ford Focus* and incapable of accommodating a BMW 3 series measuring over 2metres (6ft 7in).

Donna Howard from G3 Pro said: "Even the smallest scratch can be very annoying and reduce the value of a vehicle by hundreds of pounds. But with car park operators looking to maximise visitor volumes and revenue, there is little incentive for them to exceed the recommended minimum size requirements."

The research found that supermarkets were reported as the worst offenders by 38% of drivers, followed by shopping centres (29%) and railway stations (18%).

Donna Howard added: "Until drivers learn to take greater care of how they park, as well as how they open car doors in tight spaces, G3 Pro offers a range of professional quality products that can help banish unsightly scuffs and scratches to leave paintwork looking like new."

Trial underway of team of fraudsters who sold bogus car insurance from a fake call centre

Prosecutor Ann Mulligan said, "It was a fraud factory. There were printers, faxes, telephones, bank cards, chequebooks, mobile phones, shredders.

Bukharee had realised the earlier websites were under investigation and had decided to set up a new campaign."

A total of £40,733 had been paid by 38 customers for car insurance in the three weeks the First Direct website was up and running, the court heard.

Miss Mulligan said: "The case involves a ghost brooking website fraud - a website created for the purposes of fraud.

"It is not in dispute that this was a sophisticated fraud and it was masterminded by Danyal Bukharee.

"He used the four ghost broking websites to carry out car insurance fraud. He was responsible for setting up the websites, each of them purporting to offer genuine motor insurance at around a 15 per cent discount below the average price offered by genuine companies.

"Unsuspecting members of the public were duped into buying this non-existent car insurance and paying money for it.

"What he identified was he could target innocent members of the public, in particular young first time drivers for whom insurance premiums are extremely high, often inhibitively so."

It is claimed Bukharee recruited Giovanni Recchia, 47, to run the First Car Direct fraud from the flat by answering phones and dealing with customer enquiries.

Recchia was with Bukharee when police arrived at the flat and acted as a witness to the tenancy agreement, the court heard.

Detectives found a whiteboard featuring the names of nine invented employees next to their roles in claims, admin and compliance, it is claimed.

One victim remembered being put through to David Wood in sales and offered a quote of £2,018 for insurance, jurors were told.

Miss Mulligan said: "You may think Bukharee has a sense of humor. Detective Chief Inspector David Wood is in fact head of the Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department."

Police also found an iPod connected to sound system with only one track uploaded titled 'Office Noise.'

Jurors heard Recchia is likely to claim he was an innocent dupe and was led to believe this was a genuine business.

"Recchia cannot have failed to be aware that something was amiss," said Miss Mulligan.
"Using a name that wasn't his has to have alerted him to the fact this was a fraudulent enterprise."

Andrew Goward, 38, Gary Heaven, 37, and Mohamed Saleh, 26, were recruited to open bank accounts to receive the money paid in by the victims, it is claimed.

"Once these were opened Bukharee would take over control of the accounts to enable him to access the money," said Miss Mulligan.

"These three men may not have known it was a car insurance fraud specifically but what the Crown say is that at the time they opened bank accounts they did so in circumstances such that it can safely have been inferred they must have known or at the very least suspected they were doing it for criminal purposes."

Goward is said to have received proceeds from the Astuto Insurance and Car Insurance Warehouse between May and August 2011.

Heaven and Saleh are said to have received the proceeds from the Aston Midshires Insurance fraud between August 2011 and January 2012.

Buckharee, from Putney, south London, has admitted two counts of fraud by false representation and three counts of money laundering.

Recchia, from Retford, Nottinghamshire, denies one count of fraud by false representation.

Heaven, from Tulse Hill, south London, Goward, from Nottingham, and Saleh, from Greenford, north west London, all deny money laundering.

Gocompare - cost (followed by quality of cover) are biggest reasons for drivers choosing a car insurer

Cost is the key driver for 75% of Brits when choosing a car insurance policy, while just over half are influenced by the quality of cover being offered.

The research into factors influencing motorists' choice of car insurance policies, commissioned by Gocompare.com, revealed that in addition to the price of the policy, drivers were concerned about the level of cover on offer and the insurer's reputation, particularly in the relation to paying out for claims.

Reason for choosing car insurance provider:

1 - 75% said cost

2 - 51% said quality of cover

3 - 33% said insurer's reputation

4 - 32% said "I trust the insurer to pay out if I need to claim"

5 - 28% said the ability to pay in monthly installments

6 - 21% said "if I get a good deal (e.g. 11 months cover for the price of 12, second vehicle discount, free gift)"

7 - 12% said recommended by friends and family

8 - 5% said specialist provider (older/younger/ women drivers, sports/classic cars)

9 - 4% said recommended by an insurance broker

10 - 2% said "I like their advertising!"

Scott Kelly, head of car insurance at Gocompare.com, commented:

"For many drivers insurance represents a significant part of the cost of running a car, so it is no surprise that cost is an important consideration in choosing an insurance policy.
"
However, we would suggest drivers not pick a policy based on price alone, but to also think about the level of cover they need.

A number of insurers include additional features, such as a courtesy car, breakdown cover or legal assistance as standard, but some insurers offer these as optional extras.
So before signing up to a policy you need to think about the level of cover you need and whether you could buy it cheaper elsewhere. For example, breakdown cover is frequently offered as an additional extra with car insurance, but may be cheaper bought as a separate, standalone policy.

"Our research found that for some people special offers or the ability to spread the cost of their insurance by paying in installments are important factors when buying insurance. But motorists should consider the full cost of what they are being offered, bearing in mind that many insurers charge a fee for paying monthly."

Which? - The surprising factors that are driving up car insurance premiums

New Which? research reveals that parking your car in a garage, having children and being divorced or unemployed can all increase the cost of car insurance.

We found:

.  Direct Line quoted up to 22% more if you're unemployed, compared to our default occupation of researcher.

.  LV was the most price-sensitive to occupation quoting brewery workers and private investigators up to 23% more, and a bar manager almost 28% more.

.  Oddly, More Than quoted 7% more if you keep your car in a garage than if you park the vehicle on your driveway – none of the other insurers did this.

.  Direct Line added an extra 7% (low risk) and 8% (high risk) if you don't own your home, and LV an extra 4% and 5%.

.  Direct Line also added an extra 8% and 9% if you have children, but More Than didn't change the quote at all in these situations and Aviva and The Co-operative didn't even ask.

.  LV quoted 1% and 3% more if you are single, divorced or separated, rather than married or widowed.
It's unsurprising that driving convictions can really make the cost of car insurance stack up, however, we found the premium hikes can vary widely between different insurers:

.  More Than charged up to 55% more for motorists who received a conviction for 'driving without due care and attention', but Aviva only increased quotations by up to 7%.

.  Premium hikes for 'exceeding the motorway speed limit' also ranged greatly, from 2% for the low-risk scenario with Aviva, to 19% for the high risk scenario with More Than.

Which? executive director, Richard Lloyd, said:

"The cost of your car insurance can vary dramatically across the market, with some surprising factors affecting the price, so it really does pay to shop around and not automatically accept the first renewal offer from your existing insurer."

To see what made rates go up and down, we got online quotes for five of the largest insurance companies – Aviva, The Co-operative Insurance, Direct Line, LV and More Than. We created a high and low risk scenario by changing the make and model of the car, the drivers age, and their location, and then tweaking other variables to see how the rates change.

The low-risk scenario is a 2012 Ford Focus 1.6 Zetec driven by someone in their mid-40s living in rural Cambridgeshire, and the high-risk scenario is a 2013 BMW 120d Sports Coupé driven by a mid-30s motorist living in Tooting, London