AA Insurance retains 'driving other cars' cover

Following the decision of a leading insurance company to remove the 'Driving Other Cars' (DOC) element on its motor insurance policies, AA Insurance has confirmed that it will continue to provide DOC cover and has no plans to remove it.

The concept of DOC is that it provides drivers with basic legal cover for emergency circumstances - for example, taking someone to hospital when the insured's own car is not available.

There is a relationship between DOC and uninsured driving and the UK has one of the worst uninsured driving records in Europe.

But if this element of cover is removed after so many years, many honest drivers will continue to believe they benefit from it and, worse, there will be no cover for genuine emergencies. So it is likely that, rather than tackling the problem of uninsured driving (as has been claimed), removal is likely to inadvertently exacerbate it.

It is the view of AA Insurance that the industry can and should be better at explaining its insurance cover. Customers should be made aware that DOC is for emergency purposes and only extends cover to another insured vehcle (not an otherwise uninsured vehicle). Removal could be reserved for those who abuse the privilege. Policy documents and supporting information could specify what actually constitutes an emergency.

AA Insurance believes the industry must consider the issue carefully. Removing the cover is a solution to stopping abuse of DOC, but providers must ensure that it does not lead to more confusion, more people unwittingly driving uninsured and leaving genuine emergency cases uncovered.