| Just Say Sorry | ||
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by Claire Lumb (28 Sep 05) Although nearly nine out of ten motorists claim they want to say sorry following an accident, two out of five think doing so would adversely affect their own insurance claim or prevent them successfully claiming from the other party involved. Perhaps not surprisingly, men are half as likely to apologise as women. "Not saying sorry has two effects," says Norwich Union Director of Technical Claims Dominic Clayden. "It encourages some people to exaggerate minor damages or injuries and prevents others from correctly identifying the extent of their injuries. Both have an escalatory affect on the cost of claims that are passed on to motorists in the form of increased premiums and excesses." Almost a third of motorists admitted they would be likely to exaggerate injuries or vehicle damage if the other party involved in an accident was angry or accusatory, while 40% said they would be less likely to do this if the other driver was friendly, showed sympathy or apologised. Nearly two thirds of motorists say they have never been in an accident where the other party has apologised and a third of motorists said they had been told by family, friends or their insurance companies, not to say sorry themselves. "Unfortunately this urban myth makes people think they cannot say sorry after a road accident without risking their insurance claim or laying themselves open to being held completely responsible," adds Dominic Clayden. "Furthermore, our research shows that it is under tense circumstances such as these that those involved in accidents begin to feel they must exaggerate their injuries to ensure they are seen as the aggrieved party or punish the other party for what they see as unreasonable behaviour." |
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