Did you know passengers could invalidate your car insurance?

Motorists are being warned that the actions of passengers could result in their own car insurance becoming invalidated.

UK drivers are carrying more passengers now than in recent years as households look to downsize to one shared car and carpooling to work increases.*  Now has never been a better time for drivers to brush up on their passenger dos and don’ts to help keep everyone safe and avoid hefty fines and cancelled insurance policies.

Car insurance experts at Quotezone.co.uk have issued the warning to ensure drivers remain aware of their responsibilities as a driver for all passengers. 

Drivers have a legal responsibility to ensure that they are driving lawfully and safely, and this includes being responsible for any passengers they carry. 

Under UK law, the driver is legally responsible for ensuring that children under 14 and animals, are properly restrained, even if they belong to the passenger. 

Passengers obstructing the view of the driver, behaving in a loud or distracting manner or adding heavy items that overload the vehicle, could also be costing the driver. 

Because of this, drivers are being urged to keep in mind how their passengers could be affecting their ability to drive safely. 

Failure to do so could lead to accidents, fines, penalty points and invalidated insurance claims. 

Last year, insurers in the UK paid out £11.7 billion in motor insurance claims, with an overall number of settled claims totalling 2.4 million – a 4% rise from the previous year.**

With the number of insurance claims on the rise, it’s important that motorists don’t find themselves in situations where passenger actions have voided their protection.

There’s also talk of restricting which passengers new drivers under the age of 21 can carry, potentially banning them from driving peers of a similar age for 6 months, in a bid to reduce incidents arising from peer pressure.

Greg Wilson, CEO and car insurance expert at Quotezone said: “A recent Quotezone survey showed 15% of households had downsized to one shared vehicle in order to try and find savings.  With the potential for increased volumes of people per vehicle, the likelihood is that drivers will have more risks and distractions to deal with behind the wheel. 

“Any passenger or animal that is travelling in the car is the driver’s responsibility, and as the driver, they need to make sure the behaviour in the car doesn’t affect their ability to drive safely.

“Not only that, the driver needs to know the vehicle’s weight limit so it isn’t overloaded and ensure that nothing is blocking their visibility. 

“Even in instances where passengers are engaging in dangerous or illegal activity, if the driver is aware of this, insurers could look to refuse any claims or even cancel the policy, leaving them unprotected.

“Blaming the passengers won’t cut it with insurers in the event of an accident – ultimately, the responsibility lies with the person behind the wheel.”

What kind of passenger actions could put your policy at risk:

Unsuitably restrained pets

If your passenger is bringing their pet into your car and doesn’t suitably restrain it, then you could be invalidating your car insurance. Rule 57 of the Highway Code states that dogs or other animals are suitably restrained so they cannot distract you or cause injury to you or themselves. Always make sure you use a seat belt harness, pet carrier, dog cage or dog guard to restrain either your own, or your passengers, animals.***

Child safety 

Under UK law, children must be properly secured in an appropriate child car seat or booster seat until they are 12 years old or 135cm tall (whichever comes first). After that, they must use a seatbelt. If a child is not properly restrained, then you (the driver) are legally responsible even if they are the passenger’s child. In the event of an accident, your insurer might refuse to pay out if it’s determined that failing to correctly secure a child contributed to an accident.****

Overloading your vehicle

Allowing your passenger to overload your vehicle with goods could invalidate your insurance. Whether you’ve agreed to help someone move house and transport heavy appliances, or are going on a road trip, it’s important that you’re aware of your vehicle’s weight limit. Overloading your vehicle is illegal, and it can compromise handling, braking, suspension, overall stability and passenger safety.  Motorists must ensure a vehicle is not overloaded, and penalties for doing so start at £100 and in the most serious cases could lead to a 2-year prison sentence if found guilty of dangerous driving under the Road Traffic Act 1988.*****

Charging passengers for lifts

Giving lifts to your friends and family is a perfectly normal thing to do, and most standard car insurance policies in the UK cover social, domestic, and pleasure use. However, drivers could face £2,500 fines and may even invalidate their insurance if they are found to be charging passengers and making a profit from it. Insurers may consider this as operating a taxi or private hire service, which requires a special type of insurance. You can accept contributions towards petrol and running costs as long as you aren’t making a profit and the journey isn’t for commercial purposes.******

Passengers obstructing your view

Whether you have too many passengers in the back seat, or your passengers have overloaded your parcel shelf with their luggage, your car insurance could be invalidated if you are found to have an obstructed view. Obstructed vision increases the risk of accidents, and if an insurer determines that this was a contributing factor in an accident, they may refuse to pay out. 

Illegal or dangerous behaviour by passengers

If your passengers are involved in any illegal activity that you are aware of as the driver, then insurers could refuse to pay out for any claims if you are in an accident, or even cancel your policy as they may see this as reckless or criminal behaviour. 

Transporting passengers for business purposes 

Your car insurance could be invalidated if you are driving your passengers for business purposes, as you might not have the correct insurance coverage. If you’re driving your passenger to work each day, that’s usually fine under a standard policy. But if your car is being used for business purposes without the correct cover then your insurer could refuse to pay out if an accident happens, cancel your policy, and even increase your future premiums. This includes driving between work sites for a job, delivering goods, transporting clients and colleagues for work-related reasons, and using your car for paid services. 

We’re likely to see passenger numbers continue to increase, given the environmental benefits, Department for Transport (DfT) analysis identified that increasing car occupancy from current levels of 1.55 people to 1.7 could save nearly 3 MtCO2e per year by 2030 – approximately the amount currently emitted from all UK buses in a year.*******

Quotezone helps over 4 million people in the UK compare and find savings on all sorts of motoring insurance products, such as car, van and motorbike insurance.

References:

*https://blog.liftshare.com/car-sharing/key-lift-sharing-stats-from-the-commuter-census-2023#:~:text=The%20number%20has%20almost%20doubled,and%20better%20public%20transport%20infrastructure.
**https://www.forbes.com/uk/advisor/car-insurance/car-insurance-statistics/
***https://www.highwaycodeuk.co.uk/rules-about-animals-other-animals.html
****https://www.highwaycodeuk.co.uk/rules-for-drivers-and-motorcyclists-seat-belts-and-child-restraints.html
*****https://www.theaa.com/driving-advice/safety/overloading-your-car
******https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/news/motoring-news/giving-your-friends-a-lift-fines/
* https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/lift-sharing-local-authority-toolkit/lift-sharing-local-authority-toolkit#:~:text=Contents&text=Lift%20sharing%2C%20also%20known%20as,UK%20buses%20in%20a%20year.