Speed Awareness Course and insurance (again)

[BTB 500]

My mate Dave recently had the privilege of being offered a SAC and received the following info., confirming various discussions here:

Do I have to notify my insurance company?
You only have to notify your insurers if you are asked the direct question about having attended a retraining course offered by the police. The Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012, came into force on 6 April 2013. This Act modifies the old common law rule that insurance policies are contracts “of the utmost good faith”, which obliged people to disclose information which might be relevant, even if it had not been requested.

A useful summary, I thought.

 

[Delayed Steve]

:So, do you have to tell them or not ?

 

[gaz_l]

Interesting. Given that I hold the view that insurance companies are - in the main - the worst kind of bottom feeding scumbags, the phrase "the utmost good faith" should clearly have no place in any dealings with them. One up for the consumer there, I think.

Cheers,

Gaz

 

[BTB 500]

:So, do you have to tell them or not ?

Only if they ask.

 

[BTB 500]

One other observation ... the SAC was £80, compared to £100 for a fixed penalty. Pretty sure the course used to be the more expensive option - I assume the fine has increased; interesting that the course fee hasn't.

 

[davidjpowell]

Give them time...

 

[magpiemalemerc]

mine was £90 for the course....

 

[moonloops]

The law says you can lie to insurers if the lie is "collateral"

It said collateral lies - which are untrue, but do not affect the validity of the claim - can be acceptable

 

[MD5]

One other observation ... the SAC was £80, compared to £100 for a fixed penalty. Pretty sure the course used to be the more expensive option - I assume the fine has increased; interesting that the course fee hasn't.

Mine was £108, about three months ago.

As said, they advise you not to lie to your insurers if asked about the course, but they also suggest that some insurers will reduce your policy premium because of the perceived benefits from attending one of these courses. I've just renewed four cars on a multi car policy with Admiral, who increased my policy by about £200 because of this.

I think the better question to ask at the course would be "Is my attendance of this course registered on a database?", as they tend to fudge around issues which compromise their ethos or teachings.

 

[ringway]

I went and a SAC around three years ago.
The guys running the course said that their powers that be had been getting stuck into the insurance companies about penalising SAC attendees, because the course is designed to make people safer drivers.
If people are penalised for attending, then nobody will want to attend apart from wiping the points from their licence.

I actually found the course quite interesting and learnt a couple of things from it.

 

[markjay]

Had anyone ever attended a SAC voluntarily.... i.e. not in relation to a speeding offence?

 

[Deleted member 37751]

The SAC racketeers will be bricking it that their nice little income stream is going to be taken away by the even bigger racketeers; car insurers.

As the owner of a license that's never had any points, this doesn't affect me up here though.

 

[Druk]

As the owner of a license that's never had any points, this doesn't affect me up here though.

You remind me of myself Lee. There but for the grace of god go I?

 

[rifiki]

I believe the police make money on SAC

 

[Conquistador]

On the course I attended, the chap running it was very clear and put emphasis on the fact that the ONLY people who can access the database to see if you have been on a course are the police. It's private and confidential and really is just a case of you are on the database for 3 years then you aren't on it and are likely to be offered another Speed Awareness Course (as I was).

But then don't insurance companies say they check police databases for convictions etc.?

 

[Conquistador]

Was a bit awkward on my course. A lady took the day off work to attend it, not telling her husband... He then walked in the door a few minutes later after telling her he was in meetings all day but was on the course too

 

[Deleted member 37751]

You remind me of myself Lee. There but for the grace of god go I?

The air is much clearer up here though pal, don't you agree?

 

[Plasmadaddy]

Had anyone ever attended a SAC voluntarily.... i.e. not in relation to a speeding offence?

That's a great question!

I did a course a couple of years ago and found it quite interesting.
I asked whether people could attend a course just by paying (i.e. not being required to go on one based on an offence)

Short answer was no! It's not something they offer....

 

[Conquistador]

That's a great question!

I did a course a couple of years ago and found it quite interesting.
I asked whether people could attend a course just by paying (i.e. not being required to go on one based on an offence)

Short answer was no! It's not something they offer....

Well interestingly the guy conducting our course said they had signs outside the venue (which was at Colchester United football ground) a couple of weeks ago offering basically a free version of the SAC, focusing on education and not one person showed up.

 

[mat8n]

I've been saying this for years, since i had my first SAC, and had an accident within the 3 years.
I've never informed the insurance company IF THEY ASK, if they ask, their quote has never been the cheapest so i don't use them.

It's not lying.