Snowstorms to cost insurers £35m
The AA claims that six days of snow and ice has left car insurers staring at a collective bill of £35m, according to its estimates.
As the Beast from the East joined forces with Storm Emma to inflict sub-zero misery on Britain’s drivers, motor claims piled in to the AA’s car insurance claims team in Cardiff. By the end of Sunday 4 March, there had been an estimated national 28,000 accidents (based on the AA’s marketshare, scaled up to the total number of private cars on Britain’s roads) that were directly attributable to the snow and ice, with a potential cost of over £35m.
Michael Lloyd, the AA’s insurance director commented, ‘As the week wore on with more and more snow falling across most parts of the UK, many drivers appeared to be staying off the roads.
‘Data from users of the AA’s Car Genie connected car device showed that as the weather worsened, particularly in north-east England, central Scotland, Wales and the West Country, around 30% left their cars alone.
‘For those who did have to drive, it was more like fairground dodgems with the chances of being involved in a collision much greater than on a normal day.’
During the ‘big freeze’, the AA attended over 108,000 drivers who needed roadside assistance – or digging out of snowdrifts.
