Aviva - chief exec Mark Wilson comments on CMA report: "failed to grasp the key issues affecting UK motorists"

Written by Mark Wilson, group chief executive of Aviva and published in Saturday's Telegraph:

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) failed to deliver badly needed reforms to the motor insurance market this week following a two year investigation.

The remedial actions contained in their final report amount to very little in meaningful change.

The CMA missed the chance to tackle the fundamental issues affecting UK motorists and the market – with its millions of pounds of unnecessary costs – rolls forward.

Sadly, the CMA investigation had a flat tyre before it hit the road.

The review failed to grasp the key issues affecting UK motorists.

If we look at the major challenges facing the market – whiplash claims, fraud and escalating legal costs, to name a few – the scope of the investigation was inadequate.
This led them to ineffective remedies, some of which they discovered they did not have the authority to implement; inevitably the UK's motorists were left feeling underwhelmed.

I believe the CMA should have been able to review the motor claims process as a whole, a system of spiralling costs which prioritises financial compensation and encourages exaggerated and opportunistic personal injury claims.

Let's call this culture of exaggerated claims what it is. This is fraud. It is not a victimless crime. The cost of motor insurance for law-abiding motorists is driven up as a result.

The Government has shown some appetite for starting to deal with the problems of fraud, whiplash and rogue claims management companies and that's to be commended.
Motor insurance premiums have fallen sharply - down 14 per cent since 2012 – a welcome relief when household budgets have been under so much pressure. But we must stop nibbling at the edges and start taking real bites out of the challenges facing the motor insurance market.

Aviva has put forward wide ranging yet clear and achievable reforms to cut annual premiums by a further £50, equivalent to another 14pc on average for every driver. We want to see a legal system and laws which lead to long-lasting and meaningful reductions in the price of motor insurance.

The CMA failed to address referral fees in car hire and repair claims.

Aviva believes all forms of referral fees should be banned.

These are commonly paid in exchange for details about accidents so that the car hire firm, garage or recovery agent can attract work associated with the claim.
They add a significant level of cost into motor claims, but from a customer's point of view, they add nothing.

Third parties such as some claims management companies see motor claims as an opportunity to profit at the customer's expense. They line the pockets of companies who profit from motor claims, adding around £200 million, or £7 per policy, to the cost of motor insurance, with no tangible benefit to the customer. This is not equitable for consumers and it must change.

Secondly, we need to put the brakes on the UKs compensation culture. Weak regulation of motor claims and poor industry practice has encouraged high claims costs and fraud – much of it from organised crime. The bottom line is increased costs to consumers. Collectively, insurers, personal injury lawyers, claims management companies, the regulator and Government must sort this out.

Last year 94pc of all personal injury motor claims paid by Aviva in the UK were for minor injuries such as short-term whiplash. Compare this to France where whiplash accounts for only 3% of motor injury claims in France.
The UK does not have the weakest necks in Europe. But it does have weak laws and regulations governing personal injury claims and rogue claims management companies.

Aviva recommends reforming the current system which pays cash compensation for minor whiplash injuries, to one that purely focuses on treating victims' injuries and helps them return to health. Whiplash is a genuine injury which can cause significant pain and discomfort. So we want to put care, not cash, at the heart of the injury claims process.

Treating short term minor whiplash injuries with rehabilitation and care instead of cash would remove £900m from claims costs, saving motorists around £32 on the average annual premium.

Finally, if we are serious about tackling this issue, we must look at the legal system which allows exaggerated claims to flourish.

For every £1 Aviva pays out in personal injury compensation in the UK, another 77p in legal fees goes to lawyers. Many claims are straight-forward cases for minor injuries where lawyers are not necessary - restricting them to cases where their expertise is needed could save £300m, or £11 per policy.

Aviva will continue to make the case for change. We are building cross industry consensus. Customers, brokers and insurers want to see the cost of motor insurance reduced.

The CMA had an opportunity to fix the system and it didn't. The responsibility now passes to insurers and the Government.
We cannot afford to waste more time talking about the problems instead of tackling them. Now is the time to overhaul the system to put motorists' interests first.

Toyota - collaborating with Panasonic to allow car owners to control their home appliances from their car

We've all had those "oh-no" moments after leaving home: the washing machine not switched on, the TV not set to record tonight's movie, the air conditioning not primed to cool the house down ready for your return.

Toyota and Panasonic are working together on a new cloud-based telematics service that will make life easier and less stressful by letting people keep tabs on and operate their home appliances from the wheel of their car.

The technology is being presented by Toyota at the Smart Community Japan 2014 exhibition in Tokyo this month, prior to the new service being launched on the market as soon as the second half of this year.

The concept is all part of Toyota's on-going work to make mobility smarter, more convenient and more comfortable, and to increase the value cars can add to people's lives.

It makes use of the existing cloud-based Toyota Smart Center, which already links people, cars and homes around the world, and the Panasonic home appliance control application.

The Panasonic Corporation is a pioneer in smart home appliances, such as televisions, video equipment and air conditioners, supporting its mission for A Better Life, A Better World for all its customers.
The company is working to create new smart homes that are environmentally efficient and network-connected to support modern lifestyles.

The two companies agreed a year ago to co-develop services for next-generation telematics services that link cars to home appliances.

Since then they have succeeded in developing an interface to link their respective cloud services, and laid the groundwork for new services, including applications for in-car operation and status-checking of home appliances.
For example, an application linked to a vehicle's GPS data can remind the user to turn off the air conditioning before leaving home, and enable them to turn it on remotely before returning.

In the future, Toyota and Panasonic will bring their individual strengths to joint development of smarter mobility, using cloud-based services to link people, cars, homes and communities.

Motorists face a £10,000 maximum fine for speeding on the motorway

The Government is planning to empower magistrates to impose fines that are set to rise dramatically, potentially quadrupling the maximum fine for speeding on England and Wales motorways to £10,000.

Under the planned reforms, maximum fines for speeding on dual carriageways and for using a mobile phone while driving will also quadruple, going from £1,000 to £4,000. Driving without insurance could also see increases.

Any new legislation would first have to be debated in Parliament but there is no current timetable for any such discussion.

The planned punishments were immediately condemned as "disproportionate and draconian" by Rupert Lipton, the director of the National Motorists Action Group.

He claimed that fear of being hit with the maximum fine would stop innocent drivers from challenging unfair speeding tickets.

"If you wish to challenge you can currently face six points and a £1,000 fine on non-motorway roads or £2,500 on the motorway. Raising it four-fold is clearly an over-reaction.

"The threat and the fear of a disproportionate fine would deter many from trying to seek justice."

Mr Lipton was backed by Edmund King, the president of the Automobile Association, who said: "We would not condone excessive speeding in any way, but fines have to be proportionate. One has to question whether increasing the fines four-fold is proportionate. It probably is not.

"If we had more cops in cars on the motorway that would be a much more effective deterrent."

RAC Foundation director Professor Stephen Glaister also questioned the proposals.Mr Glaister said: "People who break the law should bear the consequences but this seems such a wholesale change to the system so you have to ask what was going so badly wrong before.

"Ironically we know that speeding offences have declined over recent years and just last week the Department for Transport confirmed that, even after taking congestion out of the equation, recorded traffic speeds have been dropping for a decade on all types of roads."

The Ministry of Justice said custody would "continue to be used for serious offenders and fines will not become an alternative for those who would otherwise be sent to custody".

But Jeremy Wright, the justice minister, said: "Financial penalties can be an effective way of punishing criminals and deterring them from further offending.

"Magistrates are the cornerstone of our justice system and these changes will provide them with greater powers to deal with the day-to-day offences that impact their local communities."

The proposed changes would see:

.  The Level 1 fine maximum increase from £200 to £800. Offences which may be dealt with by a Level 1 fine include unauthorised cycle racing on public ways

.  Level 2 increases from £500 to £2,000. Offences include driving a motor cycle without a protective helmet

.  Level 3 increases from £1,000 to £4,000. Offences include the sale of alcohol to a drunk person or being drunk and disorderly in a public place

.  Level 4 increases from £2,500 to £10,000. Offences include speeding on the motorway

Magistrate fines collected at the end of 2012/13 reached a record high of £284m and continued to rise during the last financial year, the Ministry of Justice added.

Motorworld Car Bodyshop Completes the 1960's Morris Minor Project

Motorworld Car Bodyshop was proud to present a creation that took over two years to complete - one 1960's Morris Minor featuring 2 litre twin cam engine. 

Was painted by our top painter Luke Hardy. Luke explains that the paint process starts with painting the car silver then many coats of transparent candy red, which allows the silver to shine through, which is then protected by an ultra violet additive, then a 7 hour process of flatting and polishing giving the car its super shiny paint finish.

Nissan - trialling self-cleaning paint

.  Nissan has unveiled its nanopaint technology that stops a car getting dirty

.  First car to trial the paint, which costs £450 ($750), will be the Nissan Note

.  The 'super-hydrophobic' and 'oleophobic' paint repels water and oils

.  Nissan says the technology 'could make car washes obsolete'

.  Watch 1min 8 sec video: www.dailymail.co.uk/video/sciencetech/video-1092163/Nissan-developed-self-cleaning-prototype-car.html

Japanese giant Nissan has developed the world's first 'self-cleaning car' which it predicts will make car-washing 'obsolete.'

Its UK engineers are testing innovative 'nano-paint technology' which repels dirt before it gets a chance to take hold on the paintwork. The coating is made by UltraTech International Inc

For drivers who would rather run a mile than wipe down their dirty vehicles with a sponge or wince at the high cost of a car-wash, it means salvation may soon be at hand.

It is set to be an option on future models but is being tested in Britain on the new Sunderland-built Nissan Note which went on sale in October priced from £12,100 to £17,100.

No price has yet been set but it is likely to be around £450 ($750) – or similar to a metallic paint option.

A Nissan spokesman said:

"The Nissan Note is first car to trial paint which could make car washes obsolete.

"Washing a car can be a chore - and a costly one at that. In response, Nissan has begun tests on innovative paint technology that repels mud, rain and everyday dirt, meaning drivers may never have to clean their car again."

Scientists have developed 'super-hydrophobic' and 'oleophobic' paint, which repels water and oils. It has been applied to the all-new Nissan Note supermini to create what it calls 'the world's first self-cleaning car'.

Nissan says it is the first carmaker to apply the trade-marked technology called Ultra-Ever Dry® on automotive bodywork and will be testing it 'in the real world' over the coming months at its European Technical Centre at Cranfield in Bedfordshire.

Explaining how the dirt-repellent coating works, a Nissan spokesman said: 'By creating a protective layer of air between the paint and environment, it effectively stops standing water and road spray from creating dirty marks on the car's surface.'

The Note already features a 'wash and blow dry' function on its rear view camera. This uses water and compressed air to automatically keep the lens free of dirt and ensure the Notes' safety sensors work in all conditions.

A spokesman said: 'So far, the coating has responded well to common use cases including rain, spray, frost, sleet and standing water.'

Chief marketing manager Geraldine Ingham said;

"The Nissan Note has been carefully engineered to take the stress out of customer driving and Nissan's engineers are constantly thinking of new ways to make families' lives easier.

'We are committed to addressing everyday problems our customers face and will always consider testing exciting, cutting edge technology like this incredible coating application."

High Court Judge refuses whiplash damages, describing Britain's compensation culture as a "national phenomenon"

A High Court Judge recently dismissed the claims of two women for whiplash as lies as he said Britain's compensation culture, which costs billions every year, is getting out of control.

Mr Justice Mostyn dismissed the claims as inaccurate and evasive, based on "an improper pecuniary motive," as he refused to grant damages to two women to "stem the tide" of fake insurance claims.

The women, both immigration officers, took at least a week to report any pain from the crash, described as a "little bump" by others. The court heard it took 18 days for her to complain to her GP about any pain, and Miss Hennessy waited a week before she went to her doctor to report any injury as a result of the impact.

Describing Britain's compensation culture is a "national phenomenon", Judge Mostyn said: "It is proper that I should go on to record that I do not accept the evidence of either of them, which I find to be inaccurate, evasive, partial and advanced for an improper pecuniary motive".

"This is yet a further example of the national phenomenon of false whiplash claims being made and it is in an attempt to stem the tide that I do not shrink from making firm adverse findings against them".

Mr Justice Mostyn said expert medical evidence which appeared to back up the accounts of both women was so similar it cast doubt on the professional objectivity of the expert. In identical terms, medical reports said both had suffered "nervous shock and psychological trauma" and endured "recurrent obtrusive memories of the accident and obsessional thoughts as to how she might have been seriously injured."

Both reports, prepared by a consultant physician, said the women had described their physical symptoms as "severe and constant", having taken many months to clear up.

However the court heard that there was no visible damage to the car after the accident and neither woman reported any injury at the time or asked for time off work.

Mr Justice Mostyn added: "Obviously it is, in terms of probability, almost inconceivable that each of these women would have suffered physically or mentally in precisely the same way."

The court heard Denise Withey, the driver of the Skoda Octavia, had described the accident as minor and her account was backed up by Raymond Stevens, a front seat passenger.

Miss Withey had taken photographs of the car which showed no damage was caused by the impact, and Mr Justice Mostyn described her as a "completely honest witness."

He said: "The contemporaneous material clearly shows that the impact was trivial; that no damage was caused to the vehicle; no hurt was suffered by the front passengers and that any hurt suffered by the rear passengers was trivial, of short duration and therefore non-compensable".

He said Miss Withey had no motive to lie and accepted she drove at low speed and the impact was minor.

He also accepted Miss McIntyre had immediately shouted about her neck and said she could make a compensation claim, and dismissed the cases of both women.

Paula McIntyre and Louise Hennessy made the claim against the Home Office after the work car they were in hit a bollard as it drove out of Seaforth Dock in Liverpool in October 2008.

After the crash a colleague heard Miss McIntyre say: "My neck, my neck, I can make a compensation claim."

http://www.motorworldarc.co.uk/news.asp

Bradford 'ghost broker' jailed for fraud by false representation and forgery

Atique Khan, a ghost broker, based from Bradford, has been jailed for promoting invalid car insurance to motorists across the city.

Khan, 33, posed as motor broker and for 5 months to December 2011, when he defrauded both First Central and his clientele - selling false policies to over fifty drivers.

He obtained true policies from First Central, by delivering the insurer with false information and forged no claims paperwork to get premiums at a cheaper price tag.

He then charged drivers more than the premium, plus a managing fee, for insurance that was immediately invalid due to the misinformation.

The scam was exposed in January 2012 when Initial Central discovered all of the policies incorporated identical email addresses, and referred the situation to the City of London Police Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED), which launched a criminal investigation.

Khan was arrested at his home in the Queensbury district of Bradford, in which officers seized numerous insurance documents, £1,000 in cash, a computer, laptop, 2 iPads and many mobile phones, on which forged no claims documents were found.

In court in March, Khan pleaded guilty to 5 counts of fraud by false representation, 14 counts of utilizing a forged article and one particular count of possession of criminal residence, and he was this morning jailed for 12 months.

DS Mark Forster, who led the IFED investigation, stated: "Khan devised a car insurance scam that saw him ruthlessly target members of his neighbourhood to make thousands of pounds.

"He left his victims unknowingly out on the street with no insurance, exposing them and other drivers to risk and economic loss, but now the court has ensured he will pay out the cost for his fraud."

http://www.motorworldarc.co.uk/news.asp