Accidental damage claims up 39% in England since lockdown eased

• Insurer saw a 39% increase in accidental damage claims from motorists in England in two weeks after lockdown eased
• Wales saw a 3% increase and Scotland a 12% increase over the same period
• As restrictions lift further, Admiral is reminding motorists, cyclists and pedestrians to ‘proceed with caution’

Lorna Connelly, Head of Claims at Admiral, said: “Whilst the current volumes of claims for accidental damage from motorists remains low, we’ve found the number of incidents reported to us has started to rise as lockdown measures have eased. This suggests that as more motorists return to the roads the likelihood of road accidents will also increase.

“Comparing a two week period during lockdown at the start of May with the following two weeks in the month when restrictions on travel eased, we saw a 39% increase in the number of accidental damage claims from motorists in England. The increases were much lower in Scotland, where there was a 12% increase and in Wales, where there were just 3% more accident claims over the same period. This could be related to both Scotland and Wales still having stay at home orders during those two weeks.