Dog owners drastic action.

Lack of driver education
2,098 UK drivers were questioned online between 2nd and 5th September 2005. In poor visibility leave at least a four-second gap · Frequently use your mirrors when driving on the motorway because of the higher traffic volumes · Always use the left-hand lane where possible. Government data shows there were more than 6,000 accidents involving HGVs in 2003 (the most recent year that figures are available for), resulting in the deaths of 166 motorists and close to 8,000 casualties. Read more...

Young drivers facing high costs.
“It’s expensive for anyone getting on the road for the first time and we see many youngsters driving their parents car for the first few years. So to help young drivers Direct Line now allows named drivers on all policies to build up their own No Claims Discount (NCD) which should help to reduce the cost of insurance when they take a policy out in their own name meaning insurance costs are one less thing for them to worry about.” And it’s not just financial pressure that young drivers who have access to a car face - 17 per cent feel required to run a taxi service for their non-driving fri... Read more..

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Dog Owners Drastic Action.

Dog owners drastic action.

06/10/2005

Rising vet costs are forcing British dog owners to take drastic action leaving seven per cent with no option but to put down their sick dog according to new research from Direct Line Pet Insurance.

Twenty two per cent of dog owners said that they would consider this drastic step if faced with treatment that they couldn’t afford.

Britain’s dog owners spend over £800 million on vet fees each year, with the average cost of treatment standing at £154 a year. As a result almost one in four (22 per cent) struggle to pay vets’ fees.

More than half of British dog owners (58 per cent) said they suspect some vets inflate their fees by recommending non-essential treatments.

Unroadworthy Cars
A nationally representative sample of 2,410 GB adults were questioned online between 24th to 27th February 2006. Unroadworthy Cars Over two million* British motorists persistently break the law by driving illegal damaged vehicles, according to research out today by Direct Line Breakdown. Motorists who have damaged cars are particularly ill informed with 94% saying they are unaware they are breaking the law and a quarter saying they don’t believe the repairs to be urgent. Read more...

A third of dog owners (34 per cent) believe that vet bills for the same treatment have increased over a five-year period with more than a quarter (27 per cent) believing they’ve increased by up to 50%.

However, many are risking their long-term financial security to avoid this. One in 10 have put off paying bills, while six per cent have got into difficulties by borrowing money. Fifteen per cent have raided their life savings in order to fund essential treatment for their dog.

Dog owners also frequently sacrifice luxuries to meet the escalating cost of treatment. A fifth have forgone purchases including clothes and DVDs, and five per cent have cancelled or decided not to book holidays.

Chris Price, Head of Direct Line Pet Insurance, said:

“With no NHS for animals, dog owners make great financial sacrifices to protect the health of their pets. As vets rarely display prices, many dog owners don’t know the full cost of treatment until after it has been carried out, which can cause real problems, particularly for more than 85 per cent of pet owners who are not insured. We are calling on all vets to be transparent with their pricing to prevent owners suffering this unnecessary financial anxiety.”

Worryingly, bills may be set to increase further if a controversial new EU directive is approved.

Spain Top Theft Hotspot.
A further five per cent have had their possessions stolen while enjoying themselves in a bar or restaurant. Report theft to the local police and get a police statement to validate the claim. Notes 1The highest number of thefts take place in Spain as this country has one of the highest number of UK visitors per year. Read more...

Article 66 of the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2005 could mean that vets will have to record the date, product, quantity, manufacturer's batch number, expiry date and client details of all drugs that they dispense. This will result in more paperwork, which could lead to an increase in prices.

Notes

Research was carried out online in May 2005 by YouGov who questioned a representative sample of 1,114 dog owners.

Direct Line Insurance plc, authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

*Assuming there are 5.4 million dog owners (Target Group Index© BMRB 2005) and the average cost of treatment per year is £154 - 5.4 million multiplied by £154 = 831,600,600.

Industry Leading Step
Industry Leading Step Date:. With any other insurer motorists have to pay their excess and lose their no claims discount, which on average costs £550 per incident. Any uninsured drivers in the Durham force area risks having their car impounded and subsequently crushed if they are stopped and found to be uninsured. Any comprehensive Direct Line policyholder who is hit by an uninsured driver keeps their no claims discount and is not liable to any policy excess. One in 20 motorists are uninsured and research has shown uninsured motorists are much more dangerous than law-abiding insured drivers. Read more..

High costs for young drivers
The research was carried out on behalf of Direct Line car insurance by YouGov Plc. Results are unweighted. YouGov is a member of the British Polling Council. There are currently 4,994,229 young people between 18-25 in the UK and of these 57 per cent drive (2,846,710). 75 per cent of young drivers own a car (2,135,032) therefore 0.01 x 2,135,032 = 21,350. A sample of 1,048 drivers between 18-25 were questioned online between 28th April to 2nd May 2006. A sample of 289 non-driving 18-25 year olds were questioned online between 5th and 8th May. Read more...

Parents are a cause for conecern.
Such is the concern of some that more than one in 10 offspring have relocated themselves or their parents to be close to each other. A fifth of Britons (21 per cent) said they worried about their parents’ sub-standard housing because of damp, unsafe heating and old-fashioned security. Many offspring are dipping into their own pockets to provide financial support. Read more...

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