LAWFUEL – The Law News Wire – A consortium of UK Law Firms have today launched a national free insurance policy for road users which aims to challenge the murkier practices of the insurance industry and motoring organisation which routinely sell on personal injury claims to the highest bidding claims-handling solicitor £700+.
The new policy, Lawcover, from LawAnswers http://www.lawanswers.co.uk, is a fully functional policy offering free legal cover and round-the-clock telephone support to accident victims and is aimed as a free competitor for paid-for policies which are sold by all the major motor insurers and motoring organisations.
Motor insurers routinely sell legal insurance as an addition to their policy for £20-£30 while motoring organisations such as the AA and RAC give it away, but only if comprehensive motor insurance is purchased through them.
But unknown to most road users, no claim is actually made on the policy. Instead when an accident occurs, their injury claim is sold on by their insurers or motoring organisation to ambulance chasing solicitors. And their insurer — or motoring organisation such as the AA or RAC who claim to work for their membership — are getting a backhander of around £700 for each injury case they pass on.
Matthew Roddan of Lawcover says, “It is doubtful whether what has come to be called legal insurance as it is sold is actually insurance at all. The appearance is given that a claim is being made, but in fact the major insurers and the UK’s main motoring organisations are effectively pimping their clients to the highest bidder. The insurance industry complains about the “claims culture” for personal injury when in fact they are among the biggest recipients of hidden payments and seek to grab everything they can.”
Lawcover claims that when a claim is damage-only and does not involve an injury, or is marginal or involves a claim against the motor insurer (such as when a passenger is injured and their insured driver is at fault) or even when the third party is insured by the same insurance company, then cover may well not be available from the legal expenses insurer at all. [Please contact Law Answers for shocking example case studies for this].
“Most insurers and most lawyers know that legal insurance policies are not worth the paper they are written on,” says Roddan. “We are determined that Lawcover should be a proper insurance policy which treats its clients with respect, deals with their claim whether there is an injury or not and whoever it is against and does not merely sell on their injury claim.”
Uniquely for motor legal cover, the free Lawcover policy – which is fully regulated by the Financial Services Authority – also includes licence protection defence with “no-win-no-fee” representation in “totting up” cases whereby of a road user faces 12 points and faces a ban under the totting-up procedure, they can obtain representation and get a refund of legal fees if they lose their licence.
“We’ve built a free policy with innovative advantages which could save families with multiple vehicles more than £100 a year in premiums and drivers their licences,” added Roddan. “For the first time legal expense insurance policy holders will have a policy which actually works: it means the free family-wide policy not only covers one car, but includes all the family vehicles, including second (and third) cars, motorcycles and bicycles; there are additional benefits for executives and tradesmen who need their vehicle for work; and if there is a car-seat in the car at the time of the accident, we will replace it for free.
Lawcover from LawAnswers includes:
free policy, with web sign-up and immediate family-wide cover, automatically renewing: similar policies from other insurers with features cost £20-£30 per vehicle.
fully functional top of the range family legal expenses insurance regulated and authorised by the Financial Services Authority
unprecedented support for the road user right at the accident scene including 24/7 telephone legal support and an instant roadside insurance check to get details of the other drivers involved.
free road traffic offence legal advice
absolutely unique “no-win-no-fee” representation for driving ban defence in totting up cases – if a road user faces 12 points on a totter and they lose their licence Law Answers will waive its legal fees
covers of any family vehicle or family member including as driver or passenger in car, van, motorcycle, bicycle
replacement child seat(s) if in a car when there is a collision
full free online Law Answers – legal guidance and answers to questions on any legal subject, whether road related or not
additional innovative features added on a quarterly basis
free “after the event” cover in some cases
top quality legal support from experts from the outset – no selling on of claims
