An insurance company has denied it threatened to void a vicar's policy after she adorned her car with religious stickers.
The stickers, which read “Christ must be Saviour” and “Christ for me,” apparently counted as a modification to the vehicle.
Rev Wena Parry from Neath Port Talbot in South Wales says she was discriminated against by her insurance company, Age UK, because of her beliefs, reports The Independent.
Age UK denied that religion was a factor in the decision. A spokeswoman for the organisation, said: “The situation regarding Rev Parry’s claim was in no way related to the Christian nature of her graphics.
"Our insurer concluded that our request to declare all modifications was not made clear enough to Rev Parry and therefore she did not know which vehicle enhancements should have been declared.”
“Every opportunity I have I want to tell people about Jesus. I reckon there must at least a million people who have read the texts on my car,” Rev Parry said.
Age UK’s spokeswoman said: “While all car owners have the right to self-expression and place whatever they wish on their cars, we would urge all drivers to make their insurance providers aware of any graphics applied to their cars.”
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Gareth has more than 20 years’ experience as a journalist having started his career in local newspapers in the 1990s. Prior to joining Fleet News in 2008, he worked in the public sector as a media advisor and is currently news editor at Fleet News.
Edward Handley - 03/02/2015 12:27
This raises a very interesting question - what counts as a modification to a vehicle? Company vehicles are often signwritten or covered in graphics so should companies notify their insurers every time they change the vehicle graphics? What about vehicle wraps - they protect the paintwork and allow users to change colour schemes cheaply and easily, but are they modifications? What about spare wheels? Many new cars do not come with spare wheels, so could an insurer regard fitting one as a modification? Its about time that the Insurers got together and and agreed a list of what is, and what is not a "modification" for insurance purposes so users can be certain that an air freshener hanging from the driving mirror does not result in a claim being refused. It appears that the current definition of a modification is "Anything what the insurer decides is a modification" and that is neither sensible nor equitable.