AA Insurance welcomes government acceptance of electronic car insurance certificates

The government has revealed that electronic car insurance certificates will be legal in the UK from April 2010, much to the relief of AA Insurance. Transport minister, Paul Clark, announced at the ABI motor conference in London on November 24 that the legislation was now being rushed through parliament.

AA Insurance has been pushing for the legislation for some time, particularly during the recent postal strikes. It claimed that delays in the postal service could mean vital car insurance and tax documents would not reach drivers in time.

The government decision was welcomed by director of AA Insurance, Simon Douglas, who said: “There has been a lengthy consultation period but solutions have been found to most of the security difficulties involved. In fact, the certificate is simply tangible evidence that the motor insurance database has been updated and, in most cases, police can confirm that a car is insured and tax discs can be applied for without the certificate.

“However, there are still many occasions when a paper certificate must be produced, for example, when buying a new car or taxing your car at a Post Office, and it’s an anachronism that in today’s electronic world the certificate can only be delivered to a customer by post.”

Mr Douglas added that AA Insurance has the necessary technology in place to issue electronic certificates. “This is one of the most common questions asked by customers and they are rightly mystified by the fact that they can only receive the certificate via an increasingly uncertain postal system,” he said.