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RAC Car Insurance Cover Guide

admin — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 14:11:44 +0000

The RAC is without question one of the leading motoring organizations in the UK, and currently serves over 7 million members.

Providing services to both private and business motorists, the RAC serve a number of areas including roadside assistance, insurance, vehicle inspections and checks, legal services, and even up-to-the minute traffic and travel information.

Alongside their primary breakdown service, the RAC also offer car insurance through RAC Direct Insurance.

RAC Direct Insurance is a subsidiary of RAC providing a number of financial services including car insurance, caravan insurance, and home, life, and travel insurance.

RAC insurance offers customers a number of individual car insurance products that can be tailored to cover their specific needs.

By searching a carefully selected and trusted panel of leading UK insurers, the RAC can help to find the best car insurance deal that’s available. With policies including both comprehensive and third party, fire and theft cover, you’ll be able to sort and choose the level of cover that you need.

RAC comprehensive car insurance cover also includes a number of additional benefits such as audio and personal belongings cover, new car replacement for vehicles younger than 12 months old and liability to 3rd parties as standard. The RAC also offer a generous no claims discount that enables you to save money on your cover.

The RAC also offer customers a 24 hour claim helpline should they need to make a claim.

Benefits of RAC car insurance include:

Repairs Use a member from the RAC approved network for repairs and get a three year guarantee on any work completed
Windscreen replacement and repair
Personal belongings cover up to £150
Personal injury cover for you and your partner of up to £2,500 per person, per claim
Medical expenses up to £100 for each person following an accident
Audio equipment cover up to £500 for non-manufacturer-fitted equipment and unlimited for manufacturer-fitted equipment
New car replacement If your car is less than 12 months old and is seriously damaged RAC will replace it with a new car of the same make, model and specification
A courtesy car when you use one of RAC’s approved repairers

RAC Car Insurance Plus

RAC Car Insurance Plus is the RAC’s premium car insurance policy that offers members a number of extras to include in their cover. RAC breakdown members can upgrade for free when taking out comprehensive cover.

RAC Car Insurance Plus provides you with the following benefits:

Help with onward travel transport home after an accident for you and your passengers, anywhere in Great Britain*
Physiotherapy cover up to £400 per person in a vehicle to help you and your passengers recover after an accident
Up to £100 per seat towards replacement child car seats after an accident, even if there’s no apparent damage
If you’re hit by an uninsured driver, RAC will refund your excess and you won’t lose your no claims discount (providing the accident isn’t your fault)
If you lose your car keys RAC will pay for replacements, and cover the cost of changing your car’s locks too
If your car is vandalised you won’t lose your no claims discount
If you’re taken seriously ill on a journey, RAC will collect you, and your car, and drive you home or on to a destination anywhere in Great Britain

The amount of cover you get with RAC Car Insurance Plus is also raised:

Personal belongings up to £250
Medical expenses up to £250
Personal injury cover for you and your partner of up to £5,000 per person, per claim, (annual limit of £10,000)
Audio equipment cover up to £1,000 for non-manufacturer-fitted equipment and unlimited cover for manufacturer fitted equipment

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The RAC Calls For A “Fundamental Shift” To Prevent Traffic Gridlock

admin — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 11:23:28 +0000

The RAC foundation has this week called on the UK government to make radical changes to the way in which motorists pay for road use across the UK.

The foundation is calling for a “pay as you go” system to be introduced for Britain’s roads, following the revelation that just one third of all revenue brought in by road tax and fuel duty is being put back into the UK’s road infrastructure.

RAC Foundation head Stephen Glaister heavily criticised the UK’s current road funding system, and in his report made the point that the majority of the £46billion a year brought in by fuel duty and road tax, the majority of the revenue is being used to balance out other government schemes instead of being used to improve the country’s road system.

In the group’s latest publication, Governing and Paying for England’s Roads, RAC Foundation director Professor Stephen Glaister says that the UK road network is suffering from a “lack of vision”, while traffic could rise by 33 per cent by 2025.

He added: “In terms of keeping the country moving we are almost at the end of the road.

“The population is rising and traffic is forecast to grow too. Something needs to be done. At the moment, nothing is.”

With these factors in consideration, the RAC Foundation believes that some form of “pay-as-you-go” road pricing scheme in the United Kingdom is inevitable.

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History Of The RAC Breakdown Service

admin — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 11:09:47 +0000

In 1897, Charles Harrington Moore and Richard Simms organized the Royal Automobile Club (RAC). At the time, the group was known as the Automobile Club of Great Britain, and its founders were guided by the constitution of the Automobile Club de France in establishing its regulations. Within four years, the RAC began employing the first uniformed patrolmen in the United Kingdom, and in 1907, they received royal approval, adopting its present name at that time.

How the RAC grew and evolved

In 1926, the group began the British Grand Prix, which was held at Brooklands, and six years latter it sponsored the first RAC Rally. At the time, the event covered more than 1,000 miles, and while the drivers started from different locations, they all headed for the finish line on the southern coast of the UK at Torquay. While 367 drivers began the race, 259 contestants completed it, and their average speed was 25 mph.

By 1960, Blackpool had become the starting point for the British Grand Prix, and the race, which ended at Brands Hatch, covered more than 2,000 miles. The forestry stages were introduced a year later, high speeds could be reached as a result, and rallies were won or lost on that basis. More recently, the Network Q Rally has covered the entire UK in conjunction with the World Series.

In 1978, the group was incorporated with the name RAC Motoring Services Ltd., and in 1999, the members sold it to Lex Service plc. Since 2005, it has been owned by Aviva.

Now, many classic car enthusiasts and others collect memorabilia from the RAC’s early days, and it is not uncommon to see an antique car with the original RAC emblem on the grill. Others prefer to collect motorcycles and telephone boxes from the RAC’s early days, when they were essential to breakdown cover, and neither engineering nor technology were as advanced as they are now.

RAC Today

Currently, the RAC has approximately 2,000 patrols that respond to 2.8 million breakdowns every year, including those that take place overseas related to RAC Europe. The RAC now insures 7 million roadside-assistance subscribers, with 4.5 million corporate clients and 2.5 million individual members. The RAC’s numerous breakdown-assistance centres operate on a 24/7 basis, and they respond to approximately 4 million calls annually. In addition, to reduce carbon emissions and fuel consumption, the RAC is also using two hybrid vehicles on a trial basis. Not surprisingly, the group received the distinguished JD Power award for three consecutive years for having the UK’s best roadside patrols.

In 2006, RAC joined forces with West Surrey Racing (WSR), formed Team RAC, and competed in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) with two MGZS vehicles. The cars, which are liveried with the organization’s corporate orange, have won many races.

In our modern, complex society, RAC now fills many needs related to safe automobile travelling, and they include the following:

RAC Europe provides breakdown cover for their customers in Europe who travel on the continent, and 47 countries are included. The headquarters is located in Villeurbanne, France, and English-speaking Incident Managers are available to assist them 24 hours a day when the need arises.
RAC Direct Insurance offers automobile, van, motorcycle, travel, and home insurance.
RAC Legal Services provides information and representation to members who are involved in a personal injury claim.
RAC Vehicle Checks and Examinations performs vehicle checks that determine if a car has been written off, stolen, has previous plates or outstanding charges, or may be sold illegally, and that its chassis number and number plate match. This service is provided by HBI, which also determines if a vehicle’s documents are authentic.
RAC Examinations Inspectors perform physical checks on a vehicle to ensure that it is both structurally and mechanically sound.

Note that RAC also provides it members with various traffic and travel services—such as in-car navigation, assistance with travel documents, and online route planners.

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RAC Device Could Prevent Diesel Misfuelling Breakdowns

admin — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 14:57:31 +0000

A recent study by the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) found that there are as many as 150,000 misfuelling cases each year, where motorists are putting the wrong type of fuel into their vehicles.

According to BIBA, such as mistake happens every 3.5 minutes in the UK with a repair cost of anywhere from £300 to in excess of £5,000.95% of all misfuelling breakdowns are the result of the driver putting petrol into a diesel vehicle.

But help could be at hand. RAC patrolman and engineer Phil Cartwright has developed a device designed to prevent petrol pump nozzles from fitting inside the tanks of diesel cars.

Gary Wrightson-Heyworth, RAC technical service development manager, revealed: “RAC fully supports this device and we are currently in the process of rolling it out to all of our roadside patrols and recovery specialists.”

The AA advisers that drivers who have incorrectly filled their vehicle with the wrong type of fuel should not turn on their ignition or attempt to start their vehicle.

Repairs for incorrect vehicle fuelling can become very expensive once the fuel has circulated through the system, and in some cases could even work out cheaper to fit a new engine.

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RAC Reveal The High Cost Of A Cold Winter

admin — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 15:04:59 +0000

UK breakdown service, the RAC, have this week revealed that British motorists have run up a bill in excess of £1.9bn as a result of a particularly brutal Winter period.

A survey undertaken by the RAC found that 46% of drivers spend more money on their car maintenance during the Winters months than in 2008-2009.

The increased number of accidents, repairs, pothole damage, as well as more frequent trips to car washes and the need for greater quantities of de-icer all contributed to a more costly motoring Winter.

But despite the recent harsh conditions, the company found that just 5% of motorists plan to take their cars for an extra service this spring.

Mark Godfrey, head of RAC Insurance, advised: “Spring is not the time to shun essential car maintenance. Just as people are readying for a good spring clean of their homes, it’s time to check over the car too.”

RAC attends over 2.7m breakdowns each year and dealt with almost 80,000 call-outs in the eight days prior to Christmas.

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RAC Voted Best UK Breakdown Service

admin — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 11:49:34 +0000

Popular UK breakdown service RAC has been voted the best provider of breakdown cover in its field, according to a report from the UK Customer Service Index.

The recently published report reveals that overall the RAC achieved a higher score than any other breakdown service in its poll of some 26,000 UK adults.

Published by The Institute of Customer Service, the surveys are conducted every 6 months across a wide range of areas including service professionalism, quality, efficiency and timeliness.

RAC director of service delivery, Neil Thompson, was “delighted” with the results adding that, “With the recent freak weather conditions, we’ve been busier than ever and it’s great to know our customers see us as the best in the business”.

The RAC recently revealed that during the 8 day run-up to Christmas the breakdown service attended almost 80,000 breakdowns.

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RAC Reveals Unusual Breakdown Call-Outs

admin — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 16:46:10 +0000

Over the course of 2009, the RAC attended more than 2,700,000 breakdown call-outs across the UK.

According to the breakdown service no two call-outs are the same, and to highlight the point they’ve published a number of their more unusual incidents.

One such incident involved a Land Rover that had been stuck in a ditch, with a nearby farm tractor (who had attempted to help tow the car out) broken down alongside it. In this case the patrol team fixed both the tractor and attended to the bogged down Land Rover.

Another unusual call-out was to a driver who could not start his car, due to the fact that the vehicle’s engine had been removed without his knowledge.

The RAC also emphasised the importance of familiarising yourself with your car’s dashboard symbols and warning lights. In one incident an RAC patrol was called to visit a driver who had spotted a warning light described as “a man holding a snooker cue”. The dashboard symbol turned out to be his seatbelt warning light.

Breakdown Service Offers Tips To Avoid A Valentine’s Day Breakdown

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RAC Voted Best Customer Service In UK Poll

admin — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 12:35:07 +0000

The RAC have recently been voted the top breakdown service in terms of customer service in a recent UK Consumer Index Poll.

The poll saw some 25,000 UK adults asked to compare breakdown cover from 156 providers, with the RAC coming out on top with a rating of 86 our of 100.

RAC director of rescue service delivery, Neil Thompson, said: “I am immensely proud of this achievement. It is fantastic news for [the] RAC as it clearly demonstrates our ability to deliver exceptional service to our members when they call us for help.”

The RAC boasts over 7 million members, and attend over 2.8 million breakdown calls each year.

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