No fault accident but insurance was cancelled
Hi,
I had an insurance policy with Asda Online insurance and I paid upfront for the full year. I had no idea that they cancelled the insurance policy. They didn't inform me nor refunded my money - the money was paid on 9th of September. Today I had an accident where a car hit me from behind whilst I was stationary in a traffic queue on a motorway. I also have a witness who can confirm I was stood behind his car. However when I reached home to put through a complaint, I realised that Asda had cancelled my insurance and not even refunded a single penny. I want to know what could I do. Everyone I spoke to said it was a clear no fault accident and I need not worry even if the insurance is cancelled it doesn't mean I will have to pay out anything but my car might be a write off. So I wanted to know if I can get any compensation or anything from his insurance company.
Please can someone advice me on this?
Thank you.
6 Replies
Singh,
Having a witness is a good thing for insurance purposes if you're involved in an accident. However you need to have valid insurance cover in place for yourself on that car first. If you have paid for the premiums, then Asda would have sent you documents through the post regarding your car insurance policy or you would have got an email from them confirming your policy if this was just an online thing (or you would have been given the option to print your policy on the website). Insurance companies no longer accept cash, so you would have paid by credit/debit card or by cheque which means that the transaction to Asda would show on your bank statements and you can use that as proof that you had a valid car insurance policy with them.
Asda cannot cancel your insurance cover for no reason. You need to speak to them to see why your policy was cancelled and money not refunded. You may be charged with driving without insurance though if they really cancelled your car insurance cover and you will have to fork out the money to repair your own vehicle. Since you have a witness and you can prove that the accident was not your fault, you wouldn't need to pay for third party damages under these circumstances but remember there's a fine for not having adequate insurance in place for your vehicle.
I have been notified that my insurance is to be cancelled because I did not enter an accident on my form. They now want a large sum of money to continue the insurance. Do I have any choices?
My husband had an accident 4 months ago, the next day we realised insurance had been cancelled, so took a new policy out, now the other driver has said her car damaged, but we had no insurance at the time, what will happen?
Well if your car insurance had been cancelled, then you were driving uninsured and you can be prosecuted for that. You will have to pay for the damages to the other party and inform your current insurer about the situation, otherwise you new policy will be void when you make a claim. Your premiums are likely to go up as well on the new policy.
My son was a named driver on his mother's insurance. He had an accident on which he found out that the insurance was cancelled for what reason:
He had to go to court on which he was convicted on undue care and attention and having no insurance (at the time of the accident he beleived that he was insured through his mother's insurance and was paying her on a weekly basis for it. But she did not tell him that it was cancelled.
This accident took place over a year ago and he has just received a letter from a claims firm demanding a big payment for repairs to the other vehicle (he has no money whatsoever). Can you give me some advice on what to do next please?
It is very unfortunate that your son had an accident under these circumstances. However it is very difficult in such a situation to prove what you are saying - that your son thought he was insured under her mother's insurance even though he was paying her every week. Usually after being convicted of driving without proper insurance, you are also responsible to pay any repairs or other claims that may arise from the accident as well.
If your son does not have any money to pay it in full, then an agreement can be done to pay it in smaller amounts. Your best bet is to get in touch with the Citizens Advice Bureau or call a lawyer specialising in such cases to discuss this.
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