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Original poster

Can I claim against this vehicles insurance???

57 replies

TTCbaby2x · 19/04/2024 19:49

I was on the motorway and the car infront of me had a roofbox on, the roofbox and rack have come off the vehicle and I have drove over a bolt or screw from what I assume was the roof rack and it has caused a puncture to my tire. Can I claim against his insurance for my tire? How do I prove it was a screw from their roofbox? I have his details but will the insurance pay out?

OP posts:
fieldsofbutterflies · 20/04/2024 08:20

TTCbaby2x · 20/04/2024 08:06

@Axx to replace will cost me around £100

That's nothing compared to the increase in premiums you'll be stuck with if you try and claim for such a minor incident.

Just pay for the new tyre and suck it up as part of owning a car. Flat tyres can happen to anyone at anytime - yes, it's annoying but barely worth stressing about.

Axx · 20/04/2024 08:23

Annoying but you'll pay much much more than £100 in increased premiums for 5 years.

You could ask the other people if they'll pay without invoicing insurance. I might if it was definitely my fault.

kaben · 20/04/2024 08:27

It’s

BarbarasRhabarberBar · 20/04/2024 08:27

It's not worth going through the insurance. Both of you will most likely get increased premiums over the following years and the cost of the tyre doesn't even met their excess. I would simply ask them for the money outside of insurance. I wouldn't recommend this normally but it's a tyre. I've worked in insurance previously.

kirinm · 20/04/2024 08:29

Presumably you have to prove that the other car did something wrong? Was it reasonable for the driver to have known there was a screw loose?

TheLongpigs · 20/04/2024 08:33

Could the tyre be fixed? Our local garage can usually fix a puncture (as long as it's not on the rim / v old tyre anyway) for under £20.

kaben · 20/04/2024 08:35

It’s irrelevant whether you win - claiming for this will cost you financially either way. Much more than the tyre.

Let’s say you win (unlikely but possible). They pay you out £100. You then have to declare a claim/accident (doesn’t matter that it’s non fault) for 5 years. Then, your own insurer or any insurer you go to will load your premium. And the loading of your premium for the next 5 years will be much more than £100. How would you feel if it got loaded by £1000 over that time? So gutted.

my ds had a non fault accident. On dashcam. So absolutely no doubt as to what happened and that it was 100% the fault of the other (dangerous and reckless) driver. Nothing ds could have done to avoid it either. Since he is young, the premium on my dh’s car insurance, which ds is named on, went from 400 to 2100. For one year.

tangle with insurers and you will be burned.

PotatoPudding · 20/04/2024 08:42

Unless the other person admits it to their insurance company, it lies with you to prove the screw came from their car and that you were driving suitably far enough behind them.

sanityisamyth · 20/04/2024 08:45

It's a puncture! Completely fixable with a new tyre. Just get it replaced. You could have driven over a screw anywhere and had a puncture and not have any idea where it came from. You have no proof that bolt came from that car. Move on.

burnttoad · 20/04/2024 08:47

Heartoverhead1 · 20/04/2024 07:24

I also work in insurance and yes, as this happened directly in front of you, you have their details and you have evidence that the roofbox came off, you could claim. The negligence is in the roofbox not being fitted correctly - roofboxes and roof racks shouldn't just fall off. I've dealt with claims where a tyre has come off a vehicle because it wasn't fitted correctly and it's hit another vehicle.

The problem is that unlike your types scenario, there is no proof it was debris from the roof rack and not some other debris

The tyre coming off and hitting another car was not hard to prove as we don't have rogue tyres flying around motorways.

Original poster
TTCbaby2x · 20/04/2024 08:47

I asked them to pay and they have responded stating they have no nuts or bolts/screws missing from their vehicle as all items was recovered. They have stated the puncture could of come from any vehicle on the motorway as the motorway is full of debris from lorries/vans/cars so how do they know it was from their vehicle. They have told me to contact the insurer if I wish to but made me aware of the 5 year premium increase.

OP posts:
burnttoad · 20/04/2024 08:48

@Heartoverhead1

If she claims direct off his insurance she won't pay an excess.
How do you do you do this? Do you personally (not your insurer) call their insurance company?

ViscountessMelbourne · 20/04/2024 08:56

TTCbaby2x · 20/04/2024 08:47

I asked them to pay and they have responded stating they have no nuts or bolts/screws missing from their vehicle as all items was recovered. They have stated the puncture could of come from any vehicle on the motorway as the motorway is full of debris from lorries/vans/cars so how do they know it was from their vehicle. They have told me to contact the insurer if I wish to but made me aware of the 5 year premium increase.

If they're taking that attitude it will be very difficult to get a result from their insurers. They might well be lying about having no missing screws, but they're not wrong that random punctures on the motorway do happen.

PotatoPudding · 20/04/2024 08:59

Is it really worth it for £100?

Citrusandginger · 20/04/2024 09:02

It’s frustrating for you OP, but the bottom line is that pursuing this is only going to cost you more.

The option that costs you the least is to pay for a new tyre yourself.

fieldsofbutterflies · 20/04/2024 10:34

TTCbaby2x · 20/04/2024 08:47

I asked them to pay and they have responded stating they have no nuts or bolts/screws missing from their vehicle as all items was recovered. They have stated the puncture could of come from any vehicle on the motorway as the motorway is full of debris from lorries/vans/cars so how do they know it was from their vehicle. They have told me to contact the insurer if I wish to but made me aware of the 5 year premium increase.

Why would they pay? I know you say you have witnesses, but flat tyres can be caused by any number of things - unless you have 100% proof that whatever punctured your tyre came from their car, you're wasting your time.

BarbarasRhabarberBar · 20/04/2024 10:57

TTCbaby2x · 20/04/2024 08:47

I asked them to pay and they have responded stating they have no nuts or bolts/screws missing from their vehicle as all items was recovered. They have stated the puncture could of come from any vehicle on the motorway as the motorway is full of debris from lorries/vans/cars so how do they know it was from their vehicle. They have told me to contact the insurer if I wish to but made me aware of the 5 year premium increase.

That would add to my frustration. Fully bolted on roof boxes don't just fall off. They're talking shit BUT I really think you're backed into a corner here. You can't prove they did it or not - I know that you getting a flat tyre straight after their box fell off seems like proof but it wouldn't be.

Search around, find the cheapest tyre if you can't repair but otherwise you're better to just accept it.

Ohnobackagain · 20/04/2024 10:58

@TTCbaby2x if the incident was reported and your tyre was fine beforehand and the incident details show that your car damage was reported in that incident then I would want to try to claim off the other driver’s third party insurance component. I would talk to your own insurer. You might not get anywhere but worth asking.

Original poster
TTCbaby2x · 20/04/2024 11:00

@Ohnobackagain is the overall cost to me going to be worth it though? As others have said it's going to affect me for 5 years regardless of me being non fault...

OP posts:
BarbarasRhabarberBar · 20/04/2024 11:19

TTCbaby2x · 20/04/2024 11:00

@Ohnobackagain is the overall cost to me going to be worth it though? As others have said it's going to affect me for 5 years regardless of me being non fault...

No it's 100% not worth it

PickledPurplePickle · 20/04/2024 11:46

You could ask the person who caused the damage to pay for the tyre directly

Don't go through your insurance, it will screw up your premiums even if you're not at fault

penjil · 20/04/2024 11:50

TheLongpigs · 20/04/2024 08:33

Could the tyre be fixed? Our local garage can usually fix a puncture (as long as it's not on the rim / v old tyre anyway) for under £20.

Yes, I got a puncture safely and officially repaired too. £22.

They can only do it if the puncture is in a certain place though.

fieldsofbutterflies · 20/04/2024 11:56

Ohnobackagain · 20/04/2024 10:58

@TTCbaby2x if the incident was reported and your tyre was fine beforehand and the incident details show that your car damage was reported in that incident then I would want to try to claim off the other driver’s third party insurance component. I would talk to your own insurer. You might not get anywhere but worth asking.

Even if she successfully claims off their policy, it will be recorded on her own insurance as an accident and will impact her premiums for the next five years.

It's really not worth it for something as basic as a new tyre, which you can get replaced for £65 or so without even leaving your house.

pelotonaddiction · 20/04/2024 12:15

It's annoying but it happens
My dad was on the motorway and a half brick was kicked up by the lorry in front (he thinks it came off the lorry but couldn't be proven)
Bounced off his bonnet causing bodywork damage and up on to the windscreen cracking it

Newtrix · 20/04/2024 12:21

Honestly I think this is madness. Shit happens to cars, just replace your tyre. Happened to me, 30 mins out of my day to get a new tyre, job done.

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