EU Gender Ruling

[sam_vr6]

Skezza you talk a lot of sense, I agree that a big factor of insurance should be calculated by attitude, however this is very hard to measure. It's true certain mods spell out boy racer but there are plenty mods out there that careful drivers will add to their car yet they'll get screwed for them. Apparently it "shows what type of person you are". Yeah well the insurance companies don't look at certain types of modified cars (like they should) and think oh wait he/she has modified their car in this way which suggests they are someone with a brain who cares for and looks after their car so there is less risk of them crashing it/getting it stolen etc etc.

As well as this, you can still thrash the hell out of a standard car and drive "low n slow" in your slammed dub or whatever.

At the end of the day it's really friggin complicated and insurance companies are businesses that provide a service so the service they provide should be decided by them NOT some corrupt EU. There are different companies out there who aim their insurance services at different groups ie Diamond/Sheila's Wheels for females, Adrian Flux for modified hot hatches etc.......

Edited January 28, 2013 by sam_vr6

[matt123roll]

there are plenty mods out there that careful drivers will add to their car yet they'll get screwed for them. Apparently it "shows what type of person you are". Yeah well the insurance companies don't look at certain types of modified cars (like they should) and think oh wait he/she has modified their car in this way which suggests they are someone with a brain who cares for and looks after their car so there is less risk of them crashing it/getting it stolen etc etc.

I don't often agree with insurers but I think your wrong. I agree someone who wants to put bigger brakes on there car to back up there other performance mods like a supercharger are justified in doing so but should still pay an increase as performance mods make them more of a risk as they obviously want to drive faster, corner harder etc. Meaning they are more likely to crash than Joe bloggs who uses his standard car to get too and from work. Mr Smith with his fully stripped out lupo with a 1.8t in will be tempted to put his foot down in corners to feel the thrill of the money he's spent on making his car fast. IMO.

Visual mods such as wheels, body kits, spoilers, audio, etc will make a car more appealing to thieves thus increasing the risk. You should therefor have to pay for this in your premium. People may argue that thieves won't steal a car that stands out as it's easily recognisable but if I do you over and take Car A. that has wheel B on it, I strip all the wheels off it and put them on ebay, how do you identify they are yours? I then put the car on steelies and false plates, change a few VIN stamps and I have a ringer.

I don't think there should be such a charge for mods but if your willing to spend £400+ on coilovers what's £200 to declare them to your insurance to have them covered etc

[Skezza]

Yes, matt has just pointed something out that I didn't in my previous message. Risk isn't just the potential for an accident or damage to another vehicle. Risk is also the likelihood of your car getting vandalized (yes, believe me) or stolen. In effect, the risk is the likelihood of you making a claim. To the insurance companies, mods that improve the visual aspect of your vehicle increase that risk.

You'd be surprised how much your insurance quote varies between the area you live too. If you move to a very affluent area such as Alderley Edge or Wilmslow, your premium will drop substantially. Live near where I live in Stoke-on-Trent, and you can expect a much higher premium.

[Philplop]

I'm also in the camp that thinks the ruling is ridiculous. It goes on statistics. Nothing discriminatory about it.

And one day, if you all play your cards right, you'll have a girlfriend a wife, and all the insurance costs will come out of the same pot, so you'll be paying more in total anyway.

[Pete91]

@matt123roll, but then it all gets back to attitudes doesn't it? A guy might have a big family and be wanting to upgrade the brakes so that he can drive around at normal speeds with the assurance that his uprated brakes would be more likely to prevent a smash in the event of an emergency stop. He might not be doing it so that he can push his car further.

Attitudes should come into it but as skezza pointed out, how would you go about doing this?

[Skezza]

@matt123roll, but then it all gets back to attitudes doesn't it? A guy might have a big family and be wanting to upgrade the brakes so that he can drive around at normal speeds with the assurance that his uprated brakes would be more likely to prevent a smash in the event of an emergency stop. He might not be doing it so that he can push his car further.

Attitudes should come into it but as skezza pointed out, how would you go about doing this?

It's difficult to judge. If he rings up and they ask him to justify it, he can just say "I really want to protect my friends, family, those who use the car with me by giving me better braking". However, he could just be lying, it's not hard to lie down the phone to someone you've never met and no doubt the insurance companies recognize that.

Some are clear cut. There's no way some 18 year old can honestly justify putting a bodykit for example on a 1.2 Fiat Punto. Surely if he phones up and says I've fitted a modded front bumper, a rear bumper, a spoiler etc, a full bodykit essentially, he will instantly be considered a risk and surely it's the fact he's made those modifications to his car. It shows his intent and how he intends to use the car I guess.

[Skezza]

I'm also in the camp that thinks the ruling is ridiculous. It goes on statistics. Nothing discriminatory about it.

And one day, if you all play your cards right, you'll have a girlfriend a wife, and all the insurance costs will come out of the same pot, so you'll be paying more in total anyway.

Statistically, men are 32% more productive in the workplace than their female counterparts (http://blog.rescuetime.com/2010/05/04/startling-data-are-men-32-more-productive-than-women/). With that in mind, its only fair that men are instantly put at the top of the pile of job interviews and promotions. They are statistically proven to work more, you have the article and data right there. Hiring a new employee is risky, so surely the best choice is to go for the one who is statistically more likely to produce good results.......

No, it doesn't work like that does it? We have equal opportunities regardless of gender and that allows the women who ARE more productive than males to thrive and further their career without prejudice. For me, that right was correctly extended to young male drivers who have no intention of driving like a ****. Why should good drivers be penalized for their genitalia?

[Pete91]

.

Edited January 29, 2013 by Pete91

[sam_vr6]

I don't often agree with insurers but I think your wrong. I agree someone who wants to put bigger brakes on there car to back up there other performance mods like a supercharger are justified in doing so but should still pay an increase as performance mods make them more of a risk as they obviously want to drive faster, corner harder etc. Meaning they are more likely to crash than Joe bloggs who uses his standard car to get too and from work. Mr Smith with his fully stripped out lupo with a 1.8t in will be tempted to put his foot down in corners to feel the thrill of the money he's spent on making his car fast. IMO.

Visual mods such as wheels, body kits, spoilers, audio, etc will make a car more appealing to thieves thus increasing the risk. You should therefor have to pay for this in your premium. People may argue that thieves won't steal a car that stands out as it's easily recognisable but if I do you over and take Car A. that has wheel B on it, I strip all the wheels off it and put them on ebay, how do you identify they are yours? I then put the car on steelies and false plates, change a few VIN stamps and I have a ringer.

I don't think there should be such a charge for mods but if your willing to spend £400+ on coilovers what's £200 to declare them to your insurance to have them covered etc

I do agree with what you're saying but I also stand by the post you replied to. For example when I first bought my vr6 I knew it had hell of a lot more power and torque than my last car (Yaris T Sport) so with this in mind I was very careful when I first started driving it and allowed myself to gradually get used to how the car pulled and how it handled etc before using the full power. Another person though could of thrashed it the instant they got in the car which makes them far more likely to have an accident. Again this puts us back to attitude.

At the end of the day there are loads of different scenarios/situations for different people. Risk of theft/vandalism from fancy visual mods is an obvious one but risk of crashing at the end of the day all boils down to ATTITUDE.