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Delivery driver Gordon Caroll was not exactly a tight fisted man but
putting ten pence into a church collection box caused a great deal of
mental stress, and buying a new sweater when darning wool was still
available in the shops was a complete nonstarter. It is therefore hardly
surprising that lead to the same sort of attitude to car insurance.
You can get a quote for short term car insurance (UK
only) from here
Gordon's car, as we can imagine, was a little Fiat 500 which was so
miserly with petrol, that if we all drove one the energy crisis would be
over immediately! However, the interior of the vehicle could hardly be
described as roomy, so when an opportunity came up last summer for a
touring holiday of the Lake District he borrowed a larger car from any
trusting work colleague, install his wife, two children and luggage
within it and set off for a 'budget' holiday.
All went well until the final day, when they were due to come back home.
They had checked out of the rented caravan that they had been staying in
and decided to have a last drive around some country roads, which was to
prove to be a mistake of the highest order, because coming around a
narrow bend at a somewhat unwisely high-speed their car struck another
vehicle coming in the opposite direction which resulted in both of them
ending up in ditches on opposite sides of the road. Thankfully no one
was badly injured, the police and ambulance service arrived very quickly
and both cars towed away. This is where the problems really began!
The driver of the other vehicle was asking for Gordon's car insurance
details. Full of trepidation, Gordon checked his policy; and to his
horror he realised that since he had only insured his car for third
party fire and theft cover, he was not insured for driving any other
vehicle! Just as depressingly, he had an appointment at his local police
station to show his documents; and it was obvious that he was unable to
produce an insurance policy that he could show them.
The upshot of this is that the driver of the other vehicle sued Gordon
for the costs involved in the accident which were not only for the
damage to his car but also for his travelling expenses home, including
an overnight stay for himself and his family at a hotel near to the
scene of the accident. The total bill for damages, including repairs to
his friend's car, was £8600, all of which Gordon had to pay out of the
proceeds of a second mortgage he was able to take out on his house. Just
as damagingly for him, he was prosecuted for driving a vehicle whilst
uninsured and, since he had already collected a number of penalty points
as a consequence of speeding convictions, he was banned from driving for
six months which resulted in him losing his job. The resultant financial
strains came close to destroying his marriage and for many months he was
prescribed antidepressants by his doctor.
It could all have been so different. Before he set out Gordon could have
logged on to a short-term car insurance website, spent 5 min and a few
pounds arranging fully insurance, comprehensive cover for two weeks, and
none of these problems would have occurred. But then again, some people
never learn. |