Had car accident need some advice please

GalacticaActual

Just heard back.

Total loss...........

mjn

Not surprising.

GalacticaActual

But, upsetting ......

MWRTXT35

My fellow Forumites.....Firstly sorry for your problems GalacticaActual - I've been there and understand your disappointment.
Secondly I must contradict some previous advice on the thread. Until retiring recently, I was a Traffic Cop for 25 years and a Traffic FLO. I spent a lot of time at crown court representing families in the more serious trials, usually involving a death, sometimes a life-changing injury.
ALWAYS take out fully comp. insurance. ALWAYS add the legal representation option. I know it's a few quid more and we all think we are excellent drivers and you may well be. But when you begin your journey, the last thing on your mind is being involved in a serious RTC because it just won't happen to me.....Well - in my last 8 years on West Yorks Motorway Unit, I was called out to 50 fatals on the motorway network..... Nobody gets behind the wheel with the intention of ending someone's life but we all make mistakes - all it takes is a moment's distraction and there but for the grace of God.......Apologies if I seem to be coming the old soldier but I have seen dozens of decent folks at court who find themselves gripping the rail and can't afford good legal representation if the worse happens. So on that happy note...........

Foster

I took out legal cover which IIRC was £30, which on the grand scheme of things is f all.

IronGiant

Unless you can't take out Legal representation unless you have fully comp, what does fully comp add to the mix if your car is worth around (or less) than your excess?

MWRTXT35

IronGiant - you have a point if there is a third party claim only or if a collision causes damage to your own vehicle. However medical expenses for you as a driver are not covered unless you have a fully comp. policy. Of course you can hopefully rely on the good old NHS.......I guess the sort of collisions I went to in the capacity of FLO generally involved serious, sometimes life-changing injuries to a driver who was held to blame. I know it's a matter of affordability vs peace of mind for most as with most things in life. And you have to strike a balance right for you. My views are undoubtedly tainted by the things I saw........

nvingo

I don't know if these are unavailable with TPFT but many fully comp policies include, or can have added at minimal cost, recovery, windscreen cover, maybe more?

IronGiant

Normally at a cost, it's something people with a car with a write off value near their excess need to consider, even windscreen cover has an excess.  My question was whether the perfectly good point about having legal representation meant you needed fully comp, since "third party" must cover you against against any and all third party costs.

Foster

irrelevant of the topic but its nice to see someone else from Ponte on AVF haha. @MWRTXT35