On 12 February 2011 whilst working as a driving instructor I was involved in a minor no-fault incident. When I say minor, the pupil who was driving took his test and passed in the car two days later. Examiners will refuse to get in to any vehicle they consider unsafe. The lady who hit us admitted fault and all was OK until the Accident Claims firms got involved.

The first was “appointed by your insurance broker” to handle my claim. They then passed my details to another company to arrange repairs and a replacement car. I took my car to be assessed and repaired, and arranged for a replacement car as instructed. Since then I have been plagued by calls on both my land line and on mobile by text and calls, telling me I can claim between £1000 and £3000 in compensation. There are many words I could use to describe these plague callers but I have learned the hard way to refuse all outside help and to deal with any future incidents myself. Also I have been told that one of the parties involved did not tick or untick the relevant box on the claim form allowing their personal details to be used.