A staggering 70% have admitted lying to get cheaper car insurance, and the same number believe it is acceptable to give false information when making an insurance claim.

The Banner County came top of a poll of 2,000 drivers nationwide, and is closely followed by counties Laois and Meath.

The biggest cheats ranged from lying about marital status, to where the vehicle is kept and how long drivers have held a license.

But there was good news for motorists on the streets of the capital as Dubliners were crowned Ireland’s most honest, with fewer than 7% pleading guilty to lying on their annual policy.

The latest figures come after it was revealed last month that one in three Irish drivers on average are happy to lie in order to get cheaper car insurance.

Mike Matthews, CEO and founder of Setanta Insurance who commissioned the survey, said: “We have clearly identified potential hot-spots of fraudulent behaviour. On the face of it the fact that seven out of every ten drivers in Clare are prepared to lie is extremely serious.

“In such hot-spots, including Laois, Meath, Carlow, and Cavan, there appears to be a culture of dishonesty when it comes to insurance claims. Put simply, the majority of drivers in these counties are prepared to lie to get cheaper car insurance.

“What does this say about us as a nation – has dishonesty simply become an accepted part of society?

“This behaviour is not just a worry for Irish insurers, it is a worry for all of us.

As a result honest motorists will be forced to pay higher premiums because of the actions of dishonest fellow road users.”

Just under half the Clare drivers surveyed freely admitted ‘forgetting’ to notify their insurance company of changes in their details because of fears it would up their premiums.

And a similar number also confessed to failing to inform their insurers of changes to avoid administration charges.

A quarter of motorists in Clare happily admit they cheat simply because they can get away with it.

While one in three road users in Laois believe the money they save is worth the risk of having to pay out if they have an accident.

And in County Carlow one in three drivers admit lying about their marital status to get cheaper car insurance.

In Meath a fifth of drivers have lied about the age of their car.

Meanwhile a quarter of drivers in Clare consider it acceptable to lie about who was in the car at the time of an accident, when making a claim.

And worryingly a fifth are happy to stage damage to the vehicle and a similar number are happy to lie about the exact details of the crash.

The survey also found that men are more likely to lie in order to get cheaper car insurance than women.

This week Setanta Insurance launched Ireland’s first ever anti-drug driving campaign called Keep Drama off the Roads.

Setanta Insurance launched in October 2007 and has to date sold over 70,000 new polices, and written premiums in excess of 35 million Euros, making it Ireland’s fastest growing vehicle insurance company.

That breaks down to a policy completed every 15 minutes by the Dublin and Malta-based organisation.

The company attributes much of its success to the decision to sell its products only via brokers rather than direct to the consumer.

Mr Matthews added: “As the fastest growing vehicle insurance company in the Irish market we have a primary aim of changing the face of motor insurance for the good of both the private and commercial driver across Ireland.

“Commissioning this study has helped us to better understand the key issues so that we can work pro-actively with our broker partners to tackle potential problem areas with them and their customers.”

Top 5 most dishonest           �
Clare
Laois
Meath
Carlow
Cavan

 Top 5 most honest
Dublin
Limerick
Wicklow
Sligo
Waterford

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

For more information, photography or to arrange an interview with Mike Matthews please contact Gary Quinn at Mason Media on 0151 239 5053 or 07745 962401 or email gary@masonmedia.co.uk

The poll was conducted online by OnePoll throughout August and surveyed 2,000 people in total.

Setanta Insurance’s new look website can be found at www.setantainsurance.com

For more information on Setanta Insurance drug driving campaign go to www.keepdramaofftheroads.ie

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