Storms spark car claims spike

Last week’s storms resulted in a 28% increase in car insurance claims over the first five days of January, compared with the same period last year.

AA Insurance recorded 991 claims over the first five days of January, compared to 711 in the same five days in 2011. The figures for 1 January to 5 January were 418 and 199 for 2010 and 2009, respectively.

In Scotland, which suffered particularly severe gales, 65% of all claims between 1 and 5 January were weather-related. 

The number of claims is also higher than the first five days of 2010 when the country was blanketed by snow.

AA Insurance director Simon Douglas said the most common cause of damage was from dislodged roof tiles and trees or tree branches. 

“Other claims are from items not fixed to the ground – including 8 cars damaged by trampolines, dozens of wheelie bins, garden sheds, TV aerials, a church hall roof and even a dinghy.

“Several customers also had their car door whipped out of their hand by a gust of wind, breaking hinge mechanisms, smashing glass or damaging a vehicle parked in the next space,” he says.

“Other weather-related claims over the first stormy days of the year involved cars stranded in flood water, being hit by vans or lorries blown off-course into the oncoming lane of traffic or drivers simply losing control in a sudden gust.”

“While it might not be expected that a garden shed would take to the air, items such as trampolines should either be firmly secured, or better, dismantled for the winter and stored. Similarly, wheelie bins are notorious for taking off in a strong wind, especially when empty: it might be prudent to put them in a garage or at the very least weigh them down with something heavy, such as a few bricks, if strong winds are forecast.”

He added that if a car is struck by an airborne trampoline, bin or roof tiles, a claim against the owner cannot be made unless negligence can be proved which, following a severe storm, is not very likely.