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Paul Barker's blog: 6 September 2013 - Almost impossible to guard against 'flash crash' fraud
Date: 06 September 2013
Taking advantage of others' trust in human nature is a difficult thing to persuade people out of, as is reversing decades of ingrained behaviour.
Which is why the flash-then-crash fraudsters that pretend they're letting cars out of junctions before deliberately driving into them are so hard to stop.
If someone flashes their lights, it means that they're letting you pull out. It's an integral part of everyday life on the road, but not according to the Highway Code, so it instantly puts the innocent party in the wrong in the case of a staged accident such as this.
So communication to staff and vigilance in the case of any accidents is vital.
Making sure all your company car and grey fleet drivers are aware of this possibility and are taking precautions to prevent it is the first stage, but they should also be aware of what to do in the aftermath of an accident, particularly with regard to knowing who was actually in the other vehicle at the time of the collision, and taking as many photographs and getting as much immediate detail as possible while it's fresh at the scene.
Confrontation is also bad, say the experts, but making the police or other attending authorities aware of suspicions will also help build a case if there is any indication of fraud.
Hopefully these incidents are fairly isolated, but sensible precautions will help keep them to a minimum, which will help everyone's insurance bills.
