Star comment: Be alert to crash for cash crime
You would be mad actually to want to cause a road accident. And yet there are people in Shropshire who are doing just that in crash for cash incidents.
Not mad then, just criminal.
The practice was virtually unknown not that long ago, and is still unbelievable, which works to the crooks' advantage in pulling the wool over the eyes of the law abiding and honest.
Have a look at the video below and it will be an unpleasant education.
Our local examples have been of vehicles braking suddenly in an attempt to get the vehicle behind to run into the back of them. As in such cases it is generally the driver of the car behind who is deemed to be at fault, the crooks then have a free hand to make a lucrative insurance claim for damage and personal injury.
They prefer victims who are less likely to cause a fuss, so mums with children in the car and older drivers are at particular risk.
In a Shropshire incident being flagged up by police as a warning of what is happening, two cars were seen driving on the road between Telford and Newport, cruising for opportunities to stage an "accident".
With latest industry figures suggesting crash for cash is costing hundreds of millions of pounds every year, a cost which falls on the premiums of the honest drivers, West Mercia Police are issuing advice.
The point about crash for cash is that these are not accidents, they are crime scenes. So if you suspect that all is not as it seems - and one tell-tale clue is the other driver getting out of their vehicle with their details already written down - ring the police and say you think you are a crash for cash victim. A fraudster may then back off.
The AA suggests taking notes, taking pictures, generally collecting evidence, and checking for independent witnesses, while being aware that these may be plants by the fraudsters, who really are that sly.
A wise tip from the police is to make an investment in a dashboard camera. These can now be bought quite cheaply and the footage they provide is great evidence of what happened and who was really to blame.
Despite this, you will still be left with the inconvenience and cost of having a damaged vehicle.
By far the best defence to this crime is to anticipate hazards and allow space to react to the unexpected.
