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Fronting

Hello,

I know a massive deal has been made out of fronting recently but it is this because of the pressure from insurance companies trying to dissuade people from doing it or is it from companies trying to teach people that they will get caught from doing it? Just to clarify, im not looking to do it myself but just curious!

I dont know the details but to me it seems like fronting is only affecting insurers; because they cant prove anything otherwise but I dont know how true this is. Ive heard in the past that companies have contacted next door neighbours, schools and workplaces to identify who drives the car most but this seems absolutely ridiculous. So how do they prove otherwise? It doesnt seem to make any sense, which makes me believe that in fact people arent getting caught like is being made out but insurance companies are getting caught out and are making up figures to stop people from doing it.

Anyone have a greater insight on this? Anyone been caught for fronting or have an opinion on it?

Reply 1

Camoxide

If you crash into someones fancy new car they will check for fronting.

Anything to save them £10000.
If they catch you fronting they can pass the bill onto you.

Reply 2

ThisIsTheLife

A lot of people I know have fronted (perhaps including myself... perhaps not...), and I don't know anybody who has ever been caught out by it.

As you say, it's a terribly difficult thing to prove without them going to the lengths of knocking on neighbours doors and asking them who drives it most often. That seems unlikely to me, not least because most people wouldn't give the time of day to some unsolicited moron knocking the door to ask them such questions.

Even if a neighbour did stick you in, it'd just be their word, and for all the insurance company knows, they've just not been looking when you've been driving it - unless the neighbours are constantly peering out into the street, then their opinion of who drives it most isn't going to adequately reflect real life.

Thinking about it rationally, I very much doubt that insurers have the facilities to prove that you've been fronting, and their best tactic to reduce incidences of fronting is to put out a scare campaign to convince people that they're likely to be caught (precisely the same way that the TV Licence people operate...).

Reply 3

Motorbiker

The insurer can refuse to pay if it believes fronting is happening.

eg a modifeid Citreon Saxo is insured as mainly used by your 90 yr old gran then you crash it at 2am full of your mates they're going to question it clearly...

In addition to not getting the insurance paid they can also do you for insurance fraud and driving without valid insurance which can lead to prosecution and a criminal record.

Apparently around 200 cases a year go to the ombudsman and they reckon this is fewer than 10% of all cases so thousands are caught each year.

Reply 4

hypercaine.

Original post by Camoxide

If you crash into someones fancy new car they will check for fronting.

Anything to save them £10000.
If they catch you fronting they can pass the bill onto you.

Pretty sure if you crash into anything with you as the named driver they would check for it but what im asking is how would they check for it?

Original post by Motorbiker

But surely as a named driver you are allowed to drive it? Just because you go out at 2am with your mates it doesnt mean youre the main driver? This is my point, surely if you did crash you could be like well actually this is the first time ive driven since my policy started?

Reply 5

ThisIsTheLife

In any case, you're probably better off financially getting your own policy as a named driver. Usually adding your parents, etc, as named drivers will reduce you premium a bit too with no risk of fronting.

Take out 10-month accelerated no-claims bonus policies, and in a few years time you'll be reaping the benefits of having had your own policy with your own main-driver no claims bonus.

It will start off steep, but it will (or it SHOULD) decline in price more rapidly.

Reply 6

hypercaine.

Original post by ThisIsTheLife

Fronting isnt something im looking into, at the moment my parents have their own cars and I dont have my own, so theres no issues at all. I was just wondering how it works, thats all. Plus I go to uni over 200 miles away, I dont think theyd believe a story about me being a named driver when im 200 miles away, which city just happens to be where I go to uni.

Reply 7

TattyBoJangles

Most of my friends front. One of them has his mum as the main driver, yet she lives 45 minutes away. He was once driving to his mum's house from his house at 2am, aquaplaned and totalled the car by smashing into the central reservation.
The insurance company didn't snoop around; they didn't exactly have to. The car had all of his school books in it, and the distance from his house to school made it pretty obvious he wouldn't be able to get to school unless he was using the car to drive there. Left him a few grand out of pocket as they refused to pay out for anything - I think the Highways Agency want to replace the barrier where he hit it, which he'll have to pay for himself.

His insurance has turned out a lot more costly than mine, and I'm the main driver of my car. Granted, I'm a girl, but thanks to my no claims I have the lowest insurance out of all my friends. Now they're going to uni and taking their cars, they're realising they can't get away with fronting if they live 200 miles away.. but they haven't built up no-claims being just named drivers.