Call Sign October 2010 - Page 10

Cash for crash refers to an insurance scam that has been going on for some time. But now thanks to media attention, the practice has been highlighted and actually given a name. It’s a simple idea that can leave you vulnerable to an inflated insurance claim by the third party should you be unlucky enough to be involved in a minor shunt. The scenario goes like this. You are following another vehicle in slow moving traffic, perhaps entering a roundabout or road junction and the vehicle in front suddenly and unexpectedly comes to an abrupt halt, pretty much ensuring your taxi ‘kisses’ it in the backside. There is probably very little damage – if any - so you simply exchange details and off you both go. The next thing you hear is when the third party insurance claim amounts to mega bucks for extensive damage to the vehicle, driver whiplash requiring physiotherapy, damaged vehicle contents that were not mentioned or known about at the time of the incident and possibly medical attention to passengers in the vehicle that you were not aware of because in reality, they were not even there at the time! Call Sign spoke to a few Dial-a-Cab drivers about the scam. The results may not be scientific, but they give a taste of what goes on... Andrew Daniels (A02): "I have a 21 year No Claim Bonus on my insurance policy and I’ve never heard of the cash for crash expression, but I did have an incident a while back which was settled quickly in my favour. But then some time later and completely out of the blue, I had a call from a ‘recovery agency’ telling me I could still claim a considerable amount from the third party insurers for physiotherapy treatment for the whiplash I suffered after the shunt that I had completely forgotten about! I explained politely that I had been ski-ing and mountaineering during the interim	Cash for Crash???
	period without any ill effects, but the caller was persistent to the point of phoning me three times before I told him I wasn’t playing his game. They’re all a bunch of ambulance chasers, nothing more." Robert Moss (D8): "It’s been going on for years but the media people, probably alerted by insurance investigators, have recently picked it up and so the scam has been highlighted. If they tried it once or twice they’d probably get away with it, but to try it on time and again, you’re going to get rumbled aren’t you?" Colin Sims (O48): "I had a run-in with a cyclist who then claimed £1040 for personal injury, clothing damage and cycle repairs following our minimal contact on the road. Extreme caution is my watchword nowadays." William Beer (C62): "I’m sure it happens, although thankfully it has not happened to me. The odd isolated case hits the headlines and in my opinion it is immoral, illegal and of course pushes up everybody’s insurance premiums. Any claim should have to be proven beyond doubt before settlement is reached. No proof, no claim. Simple!" Peter Boxall (B89): "I was once accused of failing to stop after a road accident that allegedly left a pedestrian with torn clothing and broken toes after he claimed the rear bumper of my cab came into contact with him! The police threatened to prosecute me as the third party claimed to have witnesses stating they had seen my cab involved in this incident. I told the police I had 12 people prepared to say that I was not even at the scene of the alleged ‘crime’ because I was playing in a golf tournament many miles away! The police eventually	dropped the charges, but that’s the reason I now keep a digital camera handy at all times. We can be a very easy target." Joe Connor (N64): "It’s a racket that has been around a long time, but the media people have suddenly picked up the story and decided to run with it. I know of a famous tennis player who always took a broken tennis racquet with him hidden in his sports bag whenever he played abroad. On his return, he’d claim for the damaged racquet. Now that is a racket! I’m always cautious on roundabouts, pulling out of side roads and other potential hazards." Call Sign Editor Alan Fisher is currently going through the scam: "I was pulling forward into a parking space in our local High Street when another car that was passing my offside suddenly pulled in front of me in what I believed was an attempt to get the space. I stopped suddenly and avoided any damage to either vehicle, but the other guy insisted on exchanging details. My insurance company later told me had put in a claim for £1200 - which they aren’t paying!" John Connor (Y11): I have never heard of the scam, but it must be tempting to inflate a claim for easy gain. Working up in the Call Centre as I do, we are very aware it can be tough out on the streets and that’s why we are constantly vigilant if a panic button alarm shows up on our monitor screens. We want drivers to know they are not alone out there and we do all we can to offer whatever support we can give." Call Sign’s advice is to keep a digital camera handy and if you are unlucky enough to be involved in an incident, take as many images at the time of the incident as you can to verify any damage to all vehicles and all persons involved - however minor it may appear. © Call Sign Magazine MMX

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