View from the top - Educating drivers on how to beat the crusher.

(From Post Magazine)

Byline: Kevin Sinclair, managing director, AA Insurance.

Early this year, one of our customers was stopped by Greater Manchester Police because, according to their record, which comes directly from the Motor Insurance Database, he was driving without cover. He wasn't the first to be stopped for this reason, and he certainly won't be the last. As it happened, the customer had been automatically renewed just four days earlier. He didn't have his certificate with him and couldn't provide a satisfactory explanation to the police officer that he did have cover.

The car was therefore confiscated on the spot and lifted to the car pound. There was much more to this story than meets the eye, which I won't go into now, but suffice to say that, ultimately, the car was crushed (with the permission of the policy holder). But as you might expect, the story was a gift for local journalists who came up with some hyperbolic headlines of the 'Cops crush Dad's car' ilk, regardless of the true facts.

As it happens, the record was updated on the same day that this customer's car was taken away, but just hours too late for that information to be available on the database. Nevertheless, I applaud the vigilance of the officer and the efforts of ...