Are motor insurance laws different in Scotland?

Scottish and English laws are extremely similar, although the terms and names are different. You won't be brought up in front of a procurator fiscal in England. Motor insurance laws, meanwhile, are exactly the same. Everyone using a vehicle in Scotland must have some kind of motor insurance. "Act only" is the least cover you can have. The system for settlement works the same, and the types of motor insurance are also identical.

The cost of motor insurance differs in quite significant proportions between the two countries though. Car crime, which does amount for a good amount of comprehensive motor insurance claims, has fallen in Scotland by more than 30% between 1995 and 2000, and this has resulted in cheaper premiums there.

2000 saw a series of surveys, of the "state of the nation" variety, where many aspects of the UK were analysed. One of those aspects is crime, which was addressed by the Scottish Crime Survey (SCS), a well-established method of information collecting about the nature and the extent of crimes that had been experienced by individuals and households in the previous years. Police reports don't provide the type of information that can be brought out of people through direct questioning. Police crime statistics are thus usefully complemented.

In each of 1981, 1987, 1993, 1996 and 2000, the SCS was carried out, and it's figures compared to those of England and Wales. 1981 saw Scottish, English and Welsh crime figures being about the same. This started to change in 1987, when almost all types of Scottish crime rates showed a fall. The gap had widened by 1992, when all types of crime categories were lower in Scotland. This was even more pronounced in 1996.

However, crime rates began to fall in England and Wales in 2000, so the difference in crime rates decreased. But, as far as the rates for Motor crime per 10,000 households were concerned, the gap was still so marked as to make it not surprising that premiums would be lower there. The two sets of figures are presented below and are from the Scottish Crime Survey for the Scottish figures, and the British Crime Survey for England and Wales, which was run concurrently.

Offence Category Scotland England and Wales
All Vehicle Thefts 534 1347
Attempted Vehicle thefts 129 370
Vehicle Vandalism 554 718
Thefts FROM Vehicle 323 825
Thefts OF Vehicle 82 152

The figures above are quite instructive. Motor insurance companies can be asked to pay out for any of them. Attempted thefts can still cause damage to the Motor, as attempts to break a window or lock could trigger a need for repair work. Thefts from a vehicle (not always covered) and thefts of vehicles show a significant difference.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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