AA Warns on 'Third Party' Cover Problem

Britons planning to take a driving holiday on the continent this summer have received an insurance warning from the AA today.

According to the firm, many motorists are neglecting to check their cover prior to setting out on such trips, and are putting themselves at risk of being left out of pocket as a result. The AA also claimed today that many car insurance policies only cover third-parties in cases of overseas accidents, which means that repair bills for the other car only will be covered in cases of collision.

Evidence for the popularity of road trips abroad was provided last month by research from fellow car insurance provider Sainsbury's, whose study found that around 17 per cent of all Britons were planning such a journey over the next 12 months. Moreover, around half of this total said that they would be driving for over 1,000 miles.

Ian Crowder, spokesperson for AA Insurance said: "If you are taking your car out of the UK it's very easy to just assume that if your covered in the UK you are going to be covered elsewhere in Europe."
He added: "If you have comprehensive insurance in the UK it will give you third party cover in other countries...I think a lot of people have been unwittingly misled into thinking that...their comprehensive insurance will also be comprehensive in the countries that they visit."

"That is not so."