Van insurance news roundup: 7 days ending 13 Dec 2013:
Now I’ll be the first person to say that most car insurance and van insurance companies aren’t pillars of the community, but there are at least some standards.
Or there were at one time, but now they’re gone. I’m not namig names here, but apparently there’s been some insurance comparison website going around Tweeting responses to news of the death of actor Paul Walker in an horrific car crash. The tasteless Tweets are replying by asking questions like ‘I wonder if he had insurance?’ with a link to the car insurance comparison company’s website.
Can you imagine the absolute insanity of whatever marketing and advertising bigwig thought that such an advert campaign would be considered a good idea? It’s absolutely disgusting on so many levels I can’t even begin to comprehend it. Bravo, you nameless insurance company, for capitalising on the tragic death of a movie star in a way that would make even the Daily Mail blush!
Of course not every campaign is so heavy-handed and outright offensive. There’s a god counterpoint to all this horror, and that’s how insurance providers in the UK have been pushing hard for the adoption of new legislation to make British roads safer, especially for younger Brits.
Yes, it’s true that there’s some self-interest here, as the more accidents that occur in the UK the more these insurers would have to pay out to injured victims, but with new information coming to light that 25 per cent of Brits have been involved in some sort of an accident, this figure is just too high – and insurers are justified in reducing the number of car crashes that occur on motorways in the UK.
Notice the difference, though – there’s no crass commercialisaiton here, is there? What a pleasant change from riding the coattails of a flaming wreck of a car where two men tragically lost their lives. And yes, I’m sure that vehicle was insured, you smug bastards.