FLEETS with poor accident records are likely to see their insurance premiums double. Changes in the Budget, new legislation and industry pressures will all, almost simultaneously, exert huge pressures on companies with fleets and those who ignore the warnings will pay the highest price, warned Rosemarie Spiers, executive director of Aon Risk Services, at a forum on 'Cutting fleet costs through effective risk management and savings lives'.

Insurance companies had been paying out more in claims than they had been taking in premiums. As a result, Spiers said, premiums would rise by a minimum of between 10% and 20% for the average fleet and up to 65% for those with poor accident records. Insurance companies would reduce levels of cover or increase excesses and shy away from seeking 'unattractive business'.

Changes the Government had made that would increase the pressure included upping the insurance tax in the latest Budget, rising payments as a result of the Road Traffic (NHS Charges) Bill to those injured in accidents and the Woolf Reforms which are expected to lead to more claims and heavy penalties for non-compliance.