Understanding Your Car Insurance Policy Wording

All on-line car insurance is underwritten on thecover is included.
basis of information supplied on the website's3. Attestation clause: authorising the policy by the
proposal form. The information forms the basis ofsignature of the underwriter or other senior
the contract and is often incorporated into it byofficial.
specific reference into what is called the recital4. General exceptions: setting out the general
clause of a policy.exceptions to the cover provided.
The completed form is useful as a record of the5. Conditions: listing express conditions in order to
risk and as a basis for statistics. Invariably itdefine or limit the contract (such as the procedure
contains a declaration warranting that all theto be followed in making a claim or altering the
answers given to the questions asked are true.contract.
The Car Insurance policy itself is evidence of theCar Insurance Policy wordings are often complex
insurance contract, although, it is not the contractand difficult for the layman to comprehend.
itself.Motor Insurers often issue with the policy a
However, as the policy describes the parties, thestatement of cover in plain language, called either
car insurance cover, the consideration, the eventsthe car insurance policy summary or key facts
leading to compensation, and any specialdocument, to assist policyholders to understand
regulations and conditions applying to the contract,the insurance protection provided, but these
it is vitally important.summaries do not cover everything in the policy.
In the case of disagreement inevitably following anSome Car Insurers have, therefore, tried to
accident or a claim, the terms of the policy maysimplify the wordings themselves. There are
be subject to interpretation by the courts.dangers in this area since the traditional wordings
The terms used to distinguish the sections of ahave been tried and tested in the courts, whereas
motor insurance policy are known in the industrysimplified translations are unproved and may
as follows:import areas of uncertainty as to the cover
1. Recital clause: setting out the scope of the carprovided.
insurance cover and specific exceptions. This mayNevertheless, the experiments are a welcome
be divided into sections if more than one type ofsign that in the twenty first century motor
cover is included for example fully comprehensiveinsurance is not wedded to the past, but that in
and third party fire and theft.both principle and practice it is constantly
2. Operative clause: setting out the scope of thedeveloping to serve the driving community more
cover and specific exceptions. This may beeffectively.
divided into sections if more than one type of