In a recent report published by the traffic information firm Inrix, it was revealed that the average UK driver now spends around thirty hours a year in traffic. This figure increased from 2012 to 2013, with the main cause being that there are now more cars on the road. In fact, these days most households now own at least two or even three cars, showing a rise in what is known as the ‘family fleet’. Here, GoMotorFleet investigates the phenomenon:
What is a Family Fleet?
The term ‘family fleet’ basically means any household that owns two or more vehicles, and as this is quite common these days most families could now be considered to own a fleet of vehicles. In order to protect these vehicles as well as save money, a number of households that own multiple cars now take out family fleet insurance policies, otherwise known as multi-car policies. Family fleet policies are also becoming increasingly popular due to the fact that many brokers offer special deals if you choose to cover two or more vehicles under one policy, and if there is ever an issue with one of your vehicles there is only one insurance company you need to contact in order to have it solved.
Why are they becoming so popular?
The UK’s population is growing, and as such there are more and more people on the road. However, at the same time the age of which most people move out of their family home is increasing, meaning that many don’t leave until they are in their mid-thirties. It is therefore more likely for families to own multiple cars, especially if all members commute to work on a daily basis. Furthermore, even though the car market has been struggling over the past few years, many people have still been investing in second hand vehicles in order get around. Now that the market is improving, it is likely we will see family fleets across the country increasing in size.
Family Fleet Issues
One of the biggest issues with family fleets is parking, as with an increase of cars on the road it means there is less space available for most people to park. Add to this the fact that a large percentage of people are now staying in their family homes until their thirties and you can see why it’s often difficult to find parking spaces on certain streets. In order to stem this issue most local councils have introduced resident parking permits for busy areas, however households are usually only eligible for one or two permits. If you have a fleet of vehicles within your family it may therefore be an idea to all decide the best way to park around the area without causing a nuisance to your neighbours, but keeping your vehicles safe at the same time.
Maintaining Family Fleets
Unfortunately, when it comes to family fleets you will often find that either all of them are in good working condition or they all experience issues at the same time. There is no rhyme or reason behind this, it’s just the way things go, however with a family fleet insurance policy keeping all your family’s vehicles well maintained is extremely easy. As all of your household’s vehicles are covered under the same policy, to make a claim on two or more vehicles all you have to do is call one insurance provider – meaning you can save both time and money. However, in order to prevent issues with your family fleet, it is important that each person in your household makes the time to properly maintain their vehicles. Don’t forget that if one person in your household keeps claiming on your family fleet insurance policy it could increase the premiums for all of you, so make sure you all make a special effort to keep your cars as well looked after as possible!
Family fleet insurance is a great way to protect all your family’s vehicles at the same time, and sometimes even for a fraction of the cost. If you are thinking of purchasing a family fleet insurance policy make sure you use GoMotorFleet to get quotes from a wide range of specialist fleet insurance brokers!
Photo by Robin Stott / CC BY-SA 2.0