12 January 2010 / by Rachael Stiles
Demand for four wheel drive car insurance is on the rise as bad weather conditions are predicted to continue, leaving many frustrated drivers unable to get where they are going.
Despite the recent expense of Christmas, searches on moneysupermarket.com for car insurance for 4x4s rose 42 per cent in the five days since 5 January compared to the same period in December.
Brits are opting for a suitable ‘snow mobile’ to beat the snow and icy conditions being felt across the country this month; on 8 January, searches for 4×4 car insurance accounted for more than three per cent of all searches.
Commenting on the surge in four wheel drive car insurance queries, Steve Sweeney, head of car insurance at moneysupermarket.com, said: “It appears many Brits found failings in their vehicles once the heavy snow hit, finding that their cars just couldn’t cope with such extreme weather conditions.
“It is understandable after seeing more snow than usual in such a short period of time people may be thinking about preparing themselves against any further snowy conditions that are on the way, or indeed, if snow filled winters are to be a regular occurrence in the future.”
For those drivers who do deem it necessary to take to the roads in bad conditions, moneysupermarket urges caution and recommends taking emergency provisions on their journey, such as food and water, blankets, a torch, and a spade in case they need to dig their car out of the snow.
All snow and ice should be cleared from the car before starting off, the comparison website urges, others should be informed as to the driver’s intended destination, and the headlights should be left on, even in the day time, to alert other drivers of their presence.
“When we do suffer from such severe snow and ice causing treacherous driving conditions the advice is generally to stay off the roads entirely,” Mr Sweeney added. “Having a more able vehicle for driving in the snow is not a guarantee that your journey would be any safer or less eventful when faced with such unpredictable driving conditions.”
© Fair Investment Company Ltd