Male motorists more inclined to make false claims, study finds

Male drivers are more likely to make a false claim on their insurance than their female counterparts, research has shown.

Some 14% of men would consider making a fraudulent claim, compared to 10% of women, the study from MoneySupermarket.com found.

As many as 16% of motorists would fail to inform their insurer if their car was stolen as a result of them leaving it unsecured.

According to the figures, 19% of male drivers would keep the fact that they did not lock their car secret, with many worried the information would void their claim.

However, those making false car insurance claims could be racking up higher cost premiums for all drivers in the long run.

Research from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) showed that whiplash claims cost insurers more than £2 billion last year.

This added an extra £90 to the cost of annual motor cover of £440, with whiplash claims accelerating by a third in the last three years.

"If whiplash was an Olympic sport, the UK would be gold medallists," said James Dalton, ABI Head of Motor and Liability.

"The fact that whiplash is virtually impossible to disprove means that for too many it has become the fraud of choice."

The ABI has proposed a number of ways to overcome the issue such as capping the level of damages for whiplash claims, as well as relying on the assessments of a panel of independent doctors.

As the MoneySupermarket.com study revealed, 5% of drivers would be willing to make a false insurance claim, with more than one million motorists having done so in the past.

"Honesty is the best policy when it comes to making a claim," said Peter Harrison, Car Insurance Expert at MoneySupermarket.com.

"If you do get caught out, it will invalidate your cover and you may find it difficult to get insurance in the future."

Posted by David Shuker