Not-at-fault motorists paying the price for collisions, says the RAC

More than a third of motorists are left out of pocket after being involved in a road traffic collision that was not their fault, new research from the RAC has revealed.

As many as 36% of 2,062 motorists surveyed by the RAC said they had lost out financially following an accident.

Motorists had to pay their insurance policy excess, fork out for travel expenses such as a hire car, suffer loss of earnings or stump up for a personal injury claim.

The average amount paid out by the motorists that the RAC surveyed to cover policy excesses in non-fault insurance claims was £215, with 41% stating they had to pay between £150 and £349.

RAC Legal Services general manager Paul Evans commented: “Many people believe that the at-fault party’s insurer will cover all the costs following a collision, but this is not the case as even in the best scenarios drivers still have to pay their excesses which could easily be £150 or more. Add in to that travel expenses, loss of earnings and the cost of making a personal injury compensation claim and it must surely be wise to make sure you have cover.”

He added: “The vast majority of motorists we surveyed (79%) believed motor legal expenses insurance cost £20 or more, no doubt due to the typical cost of such a policy being around £30. RAC Legal Care Plus is highly competitive at just £15 a year and is a standalone product meaning it can be purchased at any time and not just with your car insurance. It also includes a free 24/7 legal advice telephone helpline too, offering advice on any personal legal matter within the UK.”

“We will be working to let motorists know they can buy motor legal expenses insurance directly as a standalone product, as our research found that most tend to think it is only really sold as an add-on when taking out car insurance.”

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Mark Dugdale