Admiral Insurance Drink and Drugs policy

Convicted Driver Insurance
Read though a lot of the posts and some helpful information, wondering if any one can offer any advice or help who have gone through similar.
Involved in a RTI, blew a 41 roadside. I was taken to hospital so blood tests taken.
Independent analysis result is 74mg/100ml so below the limit. Solicitor has presented this to the police investigation and advised they may use my results as it saves time & money.
Currently Waiting on the police investigation & possible blood analysis, this can take up to 6 months.
My insurance is with admiral who are currently investigating and I am awaiting the outcome. As my blood alcohol limit was below the 80mg, I may not be charged with DD pending police results. I am hoping my policy will he be valid, however reading on here there seems to be variables. the roadside breath test is non-evidential in court so I assume they will have to consider the blood results.
Looking at a costly poor decision on my part to drive after having a drink if I am required to pay for car (write off) 3rd party damage and recovery costs + any legal costs.
Any one experienced similar?
Sorry to hear about your situation mate.

There's a lot of support on this forum. I was in a collision and crashed into three vehicles in march 2021. Admiral have told me a figure laid out to third parties but still waiting for them to recover the costs from me. The figure is currently around £8000, and this will mostly be for restructuring a van that was badly damaged.

Some people here have heard after about 11 months to settle up; others after 2 years, others haven't heard back at all.

Was it your own vehicle you wrote off?

Good luck with it all and remember all the bad feelings will pass before you know it
 
Sorry to hear about your situation mate.

There's a lot of support on this forum. I was in a collision and crashed into three vehicles in march 2021. Admiral have told me a figure laid out to third parties but still waiting for them to recover the costs from me. The figure is currently around £8000, and this will mostly be for restructuring a van that was badly damaged.

Some people here have heard after about 11 months to settle up; others after 2 years, others haven't heard back at all.

Was it your own vehicle you wrote off?

Good luck with it all and remember all the bad feelings will pass before you know it

Thanks mate, felt terrible about it two weeks ago and obviously worried financially. but i can’t go back and change it so it’s a case of accepting, learning and being grateful no one was Injured and taking some responsibility for my actions.
My car will be a write off based on repair quote and vehicle value. Damage was caused to 3 vehicles (side panels) my car ended up on its side so recovery costs.
Very lucky with my blood alcohol results came back below 80mg/100ml & solicitor seems confident.
I may be charged with driving without due care and get fined + points or a possibility it gets dropped altogether, cctv of the incident shows im not driving reckless/out of control or speeding and it’s very hard to see what caused the accident so it is potentially just that “an accident” .. hence why we we have insurance time will tell after their investigation , obviously my mistake was having a drink earlier in the day and deciding to drive home.
Admiral haven’t been very helpful so far so will see, sounds like a could be waiting a while.
 
Thanks mate, felt terrible about it two weeks ago and obviously worried financially. but i can’t go back and change it so it’s a case of accepting, learning and being grateful no one was Injured and taking some responsibility for my actions.
My car will be a write off based on repair quote and vehicle value. Damage was caused to 3 vehicles (side panels) my car ended up on its side so recovery costs.
Very lucky with my blood alcohol results came back below 80mg/100ml & solicitor seems confident.
I may be charged with driving without due care and get fined + points or a possibility it gets dropped altogether, cctv of the incident shows im not driving reckless/out of control or speeding and it’s very hard to see what caused the accident so it is potentially just that “an accident” .. hence why we we have insurance time will tell after their investigation , obviously my mistake was having a drink earlier in the day and deciding to drive home.
Admiral haven’t been very helpful so far so will see, sounds like a could be waiting

I wish id of got my sample analyzed at the time this waiting for blood results is a killer also ive been told that its marginal ,ive done some bac calculations and it is very close
 
notified today by Admiral underwriters stating no cover will given under my policy.

Pretty black and white about it.

Quoting the Drink and drug clause
and also their Right of recovery

They have concluded this based on the roadside breath reading of 41, not the blood alcohol result.

Independent a blood results was 74mg/100ml
So that was some positive as potentially I may not be prosecuted for DD.

However this is financially crippling as I am now required to cover costs of the recovery + storage to date, total loss for the vehicle value as it’s a finance car, 3rd party recovery of admiral peruse and any further legal costs I incur. This could be between 35 - 40k

On the plus side I’ll save some money by not drinking …. 🫤
 
notified today by Admiral underwriters stating no cover will given under my policy.

Pretty black and white about it.

Quoting the Drink and drug clause
and also their Right of recovery

They have concluded this based on the roadside breath reading of 41, not the blood alcohol result.

Independent a blood results was 74mg/100ml
So that was some positive as potentially I may not be prosecuted for DD.

However this is financially crippling as I am now required to cover costs of the recovery + storage to date, total loss for the vehicle value as it’s a finance car, 3rd party recovery of admiral peruse and any further legal costs I incur. This could be between 35 - 40k

On the plus side I’ll save some money by not drinking …. 🫤

Admirals position is that you were over the prescribed limit - 35mg. Police prosecute at 40 and and above.

If you dispute it it'll be based on the balance of probability not beyond reasonable doubt.

The blood test is presumably taken some time later so they'll probably say you were over the limit at the time of the accident.

See what your solicitor thinks.
 
Admirals position is that you were over the prescribed limit - 35mg. Police prosecute at 40 and and above.

If you dispute it it'll be based on the balance of probability not beyond reasonable doubt.

The blood test is presumably taken some time later so they'll probably say you were over the limit at the time of the accident.

See what your solicitor thinks.
Yes, there was about 3 hours between the roadside breath test and the blood sample being taken.
In the case of the police i believe the blood results are now the evidence used unless a back count is requested, I think this is dependent on the severity of the incident, thankfully no one injured in this case just damage to parked vehicles.
I am seeking further legal advice and waiting on a reply from my solicitor.
Understand the insurance company not paying out but deciding before the investigation is concluded as I have not been charged
 
Yes, there was about 3 hours between the roadside breath test and the blood sample being taken.
In the case of the police i believe the blood results are now the evidence used unless a back count is requested, I think this is dependent on the severity of the incident, thankfully no one injured in this case just damage to parked vehicles.
I am seeking further legal advice and waiting on a reply from my solicitor.
Understand the insurance company not paying out but deciding before the investigation is concluded as I have not been charged
Unfortunately with Admiral, blowing over the limit at the roadside is reason enough to invoke their drink and drugs exclusion. It doesn't need a conviction.
 
I am seeking legal advice on this but was interested to know if any one here has been successful with appealing, I have read a lot of the complaints with the financial ombudsmen, these are obviously on a case by case basis.

Admiral policy
11.Drink and drugs clause
If an accident happens while any insured person is driving and:
* is found to be over the legal limit for alcohol or drugs
* is driving while unfit through drink or drugs, whether prescribed or otherwise
* fails to provide a sample of breath, blood or urine when required to do so, without lawful reason.
No cover under the policy will be given and instead, liability will be restricted to meeting the obligations as required by Road Traffic Law and we will cancel your policy.

Seeing at the roadside is non evidential and used to give police officers and indication of alcohol consumption. Why is the standard of proof required lower than that of a court of law from Admiral, should this information not be clearly detailed in the above statement in their policy as this may influence a decision for any person choosing cover from admiral knowing this.
 
I am seeking legal advice on this but was interested to know if any one here has been successful with appealing, I have read a lot of the complaints with the financial ombudsmen, these are obviously on a case by case basis.

Admiral policy
11.Drink and drugs clause
If an accident happens while any insured person is driving and:
* is found to be over the legal limit for alcohol or drugs
* is driving while unfit through drink or drugs, whether prescribed or otherwise
* fails to provide a sample of breath, blood or urine when required to do so, without lawful reason.
No cover under the policy will be given and instead, liability will be restricted to meeting the obligations as required by Road Traffic Law and we will cancel your policy.

Seeing at the roadside is non evidential and used to give police officers and indication of alcohol consumption. Why is the standard of proof required lower than that of a court of law from Admiral, should this information not be clearly detailed in the above statement in their policy as this may influence a decision for any person choosing cover from admiral knowing this.
If t
I am seeking legal advice on this but was interested to know if any one here has been successful with appealing, I have read a lot of the complaints with the financial ombudsmen, these are obviously on a case by case basis.

Admiral policy
11.Drink and drugs clause
If an accident happens while any insured person is driving and:
* is found to be over the legal limit for alcohol or drugs
* is driving while unfit through drink or drugs, whether prescribed or otherwise
* fails to provide a sample of breath, blood or urine when required to do so, without lawful reason.
No cover under the policy will be given and instead, liability will be restricted to meeting the obligations as required by Road Traffic Law and we will cancel your policy.

Seeing at the roadside is non evidential and used to give police officers and indication of alcohol consumption. Why is the standard of proof required lower than that of a court of law from Admiral, should this information not be clearly detailed in the above statement in their policy as this may influence a decision for any person choosing cover from admiral knowing this
If they take you to court it's a civil case where the judge will decide on 'the balance of probability'. If he thinks you were probably over the prescribed limit he'll find in favour of Admiral.
A criminal court case verdict is based on 'beyond reasonable doubt' which needs more than just the judges opinion. It needs to be backed up with incontrovertible evidence.

Personally I think Admiral should only invoke their exclusion clause if the is a conviction.
 
Read though a lot of the posts and some helpful information and i m trying to get a bit of advice on the settlement negociations with Admiral.

They have dealt with the third party claim under the terms and conditions of the Road Traffic Act 1988 and received an email with the total amount to pay . 1k for personal injury, 2.7k car repairs and 4k for car rental. Damage to the rear bumper was minimal, no visual damage to the other car.

I have been told verbally by Admiral that in this case they would look at a personal injury claim in the order of a few hundreds but this discussion was about 6 months ago.

What is the best way to challenge these costs, at the moment they have not provided any details. The rental in particular seems a rip-off.

Many thanks.
A
 
Read though a lot of the posts and some helpful information and i m trying to get a bit of advice on the settlement negociations with Admiral.

They have dealt with the third party claim under the terms and conditions of the Road Traffic Act 1988 and received an email with the total amount to pay . 1k for personal injury, 2.7k car repairs and 4k for car rental. Damage to the rear bumper was minimal, no visual damage to the other car.

I have been told verbally by Admiral that in this case they would look at a personal injury claim in the order of a few hundreds but this discussion was about 6 months ago.

What is the best way to challenge these costs, at the moment they have not provided any details. The rental in particular seems a rip-off.

Many thanks.
A

It's highly unlikely it has been dealt with under the RTA unless the third party took you to court.
More likely to be processed as MIB Article 75 insurer. Worth asking them to clarify although I suspect the answer will be unclear.

Did Admiral et the third party to sign an A&A form? Did you sign an indemnity agreement?

Ask for the engineers report and photos of the damage and try to assess whether £2.7k is a fair price. Did they get the car repaired by one of their own approved repairers, or was it done through a claims management company? A CMC is going to cost more.

Ask them what personal injury was suffered. Did Admiral's own medic check them over to confirm the injuries? Did they pay up without a medical examination? They do that to reduce cost because soft tissue damage is very hard to diagnose and find it easier to pay without evidence.

Did the vehicle damage make it undrivable or unsafe to drive?
How long was the car hire for? What make and model was the hire car? They are entitled to an equivalent car for a couple of weeks.

It's really just a case of asking them to explain the breakdown of the claim, show the evidence it is based on and justifying the amount if you think it is high.
 
It's highly unlikely it has been dealt with under the RTA unless the third party took you to court.
More likely to be processed as MIB Article 75 insurer. Worth asking them to clarify although I suspect the answer will be unclear.

Did Admiral et the third party to sign an A&A form? Did you sign an indemnity agreement?

Ask for the engineers report and photos of the damage and try to assess whether £2.7k is a fair price. Did they get the car repaired by one of their own approved repairers, or was it done through a claims management company? A CMC is going to cost more.

Ask them what personal injury was suffered. Did Admiral's own medic check them over to confirm the injuries? Did they pay up without a medical examination? They do that to reduce cost because soft tissue damage is very hard to diagnose and find it easier to pay without evidence.

Did the vehicle damage make it undrivable or unsafe to drive?
How long was the car hire for? What make and model was the hire car? They are entitled to an equivalent car for a couple of weeks.

It's really just a case of asking them to explain the breakdown of the claim, show the evidence it is based on and justifying the amount if you think it is high.
They have asked me to sign the A&A form and i refused on the basis that they should deal in a manner that reduce the costs anyway. At the time they have told me that they will try to have the 3rd party to sign it.

Regarding the personal injury, i ve been trying to stay in contact with them just to get a feel for how things are progressing. I ve been told 6 months ago that they are waiting for the other driver to submit a medical legal report.

The other car did something like an emergency stop and my car just went under their car while the weight shifted on the front due to braking. I don t think their boot was stuck but it was an Uber so i could expect higher costs.

Would ask these questions going forward and see what responses i get.

Many thanks,
A
 
It's a bizarre, unfair clause. I wasn't aware of it.
That implies they can/will pursue any of the named drivers.

As I've said many times before, the named drivers don't read the Policy document and neither do most policyholders.

It's an unfair contract in my opinion. I advise people to steer well clear of Admiral Group and not be sucked in by the cheap policy.

Sounds like you are doing the right things.
The amount they ask for is always negotiable.
Having received several templates off Admiral - nothing filled in etc - then one letter demanding money.
I have wrote back to them (pdf letter via email), which they have yet to acknowledge or respond too.
Although, they still kept sending demand letters with the wrong date or missing information to me.

Not sure how to play this now, as i have tried to start discussion but had no joy or reply???

Thanks,

Darran
 
Having received several templates off Admiral - nothing filled in etc - then one letter demanding money.
I have wrote back to them (pdf letter via email), which they have yet to acknowledge or respond too.
Although, they still kept sending demand letters with the wrong date or missing information to me.

Not sure how to play this now, as i have tried to start discussion but had no joy or reply???

Thanks,

Darran
Sounds like they are just as incompetent as they were over 10 years ago.
 
Sounds like they are just as incompetent as they were over 10 years ago.
Responded again to their letters and today I had a knock at the door from a freelancer working on behalf of Admiral.

I know it’s intimidating tactics from them but it did kinda catch me off guard.

He said he was there to work with both parties to work out how I will pay and wanted to show me all the paperwork and get me to sign something.
I politely explained that I did not wish to enclosure any details with him and do not want to see any paperwork etc etc .
I explained Admiral are not responding to any of my letters and that I am dealing with them directly.
He tried the hard sale and tried to show me the paperwork but I refused.

Think I’ve done the right thing - only time will tell ?
 
Responded again to their letters and today I had a knock at the door from a freelancer working on behalf of Admiral.

I know it’s intimidating tactics from them but it did kinda catch me off guard.

He said he was there to work with both parties to work out how I will pay and wanted to show me all the paperwork and get me to sign something.
I politely explained that I did not wish to enclosure any details with him and do not want to see any paperwork etc etc .
I explained Admiral are not responding to any of my letters and that I am dealing with them directly.
He tried the hard sale and tried to show me the paperwork but I refused.

Think I’ve done the right thing - only time will tell ?
It sounds like you’ve done right there . How dare they !!
 
Responded again to their letters and today I had a knock at the door from a freelancer working on behalf of Admiral.

I know it’s intimidating tactics from them but it did kinda catch me off guard.

He said he was there to work with both parties to work out how I will pay and wanted to show me all the paperwork and get me to sign something.
I politely explained that I did not wish to enclosure any details with him and do not want to see any paperwork etc etc .
I explained Admiral are not responding to any of my letters and that I am dealing with them directly.
He tried the hard sale and tried to show me the paperwork but I refused.

Think I’ve done the right thing - only time will tell ?

I think Admiral's incompetence has eventually led to them outsourcing their debt collection. I'm not convinced it will be more successful unless they do start taking people to court. People will find it more intimidating if someone turns up on their doorstep.
They are not Bailiffs so have no powers of entry. They will be more persistent than Admiral because they have a financial incentive to get people

I still think Admiral's role is unclear. You are surely entitled to know if they are an Article 75 insurer because it does impact what they pay out on.
Given the poor performance and lack for answers it is worth raising a complaint with them and if not satisfied take it to the Ombudsman.
It won't get you off the hook but hopefully it provides clarity of how they operate and under which legislation and regulations. Plus they'll hopefully be pulled up on the lack of customer interaction.
 
I think Admiral's incompetence has eventually led to them outsourcing their debt collection. I'm not convinced it will be more successful unless they do start taking people to court. People will find it more intimidating if someone turns up on their doorstep.
They are not Bailiffs so have no powers of entry. They will be more persistent than Admiral because they have a financial incentive to get people

I still think Admiral's role is unclear. You are surely entitled to know if they are an Article 75 insurer because it does impact what they pay out on.
Given the poor performance and lack for answers it is worth raising a complaint with them and if not satisfied take it to the Ombudsman.
It won't get you off the hook but hopefully it provides clarity of how they operate and under which legislation and regulations. Plus they'll hopefully be pulled up on the lack of customer interaction.
All he said was he had to report back to Admiral to say that he had spoken to me.

https://www.brownsword.com/

This is who they were.

I will be writing to Admiral again this evening and title it as a compliant letter.

Thanks, your comments really do help me keep my composer.

It’s appreciated
 
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