RAC has predicted that UK bank holiday travellers will be opting for shorter trips this weekend, highlighting the recent travel chaos, erratic weather and spiralling fuel costs as the cause.

The car insurer and breakdown specialist has suggested that people will choose day trips over weekend jaunts, and has warned that the extensive traffic volumes will last until unusually late in the evening on Friday. It is also expected that Monday afternoon and early evening will see very high volumes, as well as Tuesday morning.

Popular destinations will include theme parks and beaches (providing the weather holds out), and shopping centres such as Bluewater and Lakeside will certainly be swamped with shoppers.

Motorists are advised to plan their route before setting off, and a contingency route would certainly be a good idea. Local radio stations and route planners are great tools that will help you experience an easier journey.

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With the new registration coming out today, many people will be looking to renew their car insurance. Moneysupermarket says that 7.3 million drivers will renew with their current car insurer, without examining the variety of options available from other potential providers. This means that a staggering 22% of the UK’s drivers are not even trying to save, despite the abundance of car insurers looking for your business!

UK drivers are wasting an astonishing £1.3 billion; an average of £180 per policyholder. 14% of those choosing to automatically renew their car insurance simply do not believe they will find a better deal, whilst 8% just cannot be bothered! Comparison websites offer people any easy and quick way to check if they could save money on their car insurance; but blind loyalty and a certain amount of laziness is costing almost £200 per person.

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Car insurance claims have increased by almost 75 per cent due to the icy conditions on road according to Swiftcover. Jim Osterberg’s favourite UK car insurance company has said that staff have dealt with an ‘unprecedented’ number of calls for claims, largely due to accidents caused by the weather.

The first working week of any New Year are typically when claims peak, as people are returning to work and school runs for the new terms resume. This has been exacerbated by slippery road conditions and reduced visibility caused by the snow.

Robin Reames, director of claims at Swiftcover was quoted on My Finances saying: “The severity of the snow this week caught everyone by surprise and resulted in lots of drivers having accidents and problems with their cars, which in turn meant a record number of people contacting Swiftcover.com for help or to make a claim.”

An increasing number of hard-up children are staying insured on their parents’ car insurance policy into their late 20s and early 30s as the cost of premiums continues to rise.

As household budgets have been squeezed during the recession and unemployment has risen, the average age of sons and daughters registered as secondary drivers on their parents’ insurance has gone up from 25 to 31 years old.

The rise in the number of grown children adding themselves to their parents’ car insurance policy rather than taking out one of their own reflects the increasing number of youngsters who save money by continuing to live at home and take advantage of parental support.

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Car insurance premiums are rising at their fastest rate for 15 years, with average premiums up 14% since last October. In the last three months alone prices have shot up 5.6% and this trend is expected to continue, warns the AA.

Drivers who fail to shop around face a typical premium of £821 for fully-comprehensive cover, while those who visit price comparison sites pay £552 on average, the AA said.

Young drivers have been most affected by the rise, with premiums for third party, fire and theft cover rising by 9.3% over the quarter and 17.6% over the year to an average quoted premium of £1,059. This type of cover tends to be bought by young people as it is significantly cheaper than fully comprehensive insurance.

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The clocks have gone back an hour and the evenings are getting darker. With many drivers facing a dark commute to work, pedestrians and cyclists more difficult to see, and the potential for heavy rain, snow and black ice, the winter months can be dangerous for motorists.

However, there are plenty of things you can do to improve your safety during winter. RAC patrol Crackers Patel shares some tips:

• Before heading out, check that your lights and brakes are in good working order.
• Clean your lights - a quick wipe over will enable you to see, and be seen, more easily.
• Don’t forget to switch your lights off when you park your car. The RAC anticipates a 15% increase in flat battery call outs over the winter due to people leaving their lights on when their car is stationary.

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One in seven motorists has lied to their car insurance company in order to reduce premiums, a new survey has revealed.

According to research by insurer Salaam Halal, some 14% of drivers admitted that they or their partner had deliberately submitted false information in order to benefit from cheaper insurance.

The worst culprits came from Wales, where 21% of drivers admitted they were likely to lie when applying for insurance. People living in the East of England were most truthful, with only 10% of motorists providing false applications.

People most commonly lied about the location of their car when applying for insurance, with 39% of those who had been dishonest claiming they parked their car in a garage, when in fact they kept it outside.

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The UK scrappage scheme continued to encourage growth in the car industry in August with sales up 6% from a year ago, industry figures show.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said 67,006 new cars were sold in August, the second consecutive month of rises. However, total sales since the start of 2009 are still 21.5% lower than the same period last year.

The Society attributed the rise to the scrappage incentive scheme introduced in May, in which drivers who trade in a car over 10 years old receive a £2,000 discount off a new car. Half of the discount is paid by the government and half by the car industry.

The announcement was cautiously welcomed by SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt:

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A fifth of young motorists are driving without car insurance, a new report from the Motor Insurance Bureau (MIB) revealed today.

The MIB, which is funded by the motor insurance industry and pays compensation to those involved in an accident with an uninsured driver, estimates that around 243,000 drivers aged between 17 and 20 are uninsured.

The report found that one in 10 young drivers claim not to know that motorists must purchase car insurance by law. However, this group poses a particular danger on the road, because young people are 4 times more likely that average to be involved in claims.

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Fake injuries, fictitious stolen goods and exaggerated claims for car repairs are all ways in which policyholders attempt to defraud their car insurance provider, according to Admiral Insurance.

The FTSE 100 company is the latest insurer to warn that it has seen a significant increase in fraudulent claims from individuals and criminal gangs in the first half of the year.

David Stevens, Admiral’s chief operating officer, said that the company had received “roughly a third” more suspicious claims during the period than in the first half of 2008. He added that Admiral, which specialises in car insurance, had discovered several instances of false or exaggerated claims such as fake whiplash following minor prangs, as well as policyholders lying about the number of people they were driving in their car at the time of an accident.

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