MY CAREER as a runner of marathons is well behind me, but I remember the business of “hitting the wall". The term was used to describe the phase in running when you suddenly find yourself out of steam and unable to make much progress. “Hitting the wall" is a very good way of describing the physical and mental experience.
Up here in Orkney, where I live, it seems that hitting the wall happens more often than it should. I'm not talking about running, but driving, and the wall that is being hit is a physical one.
A report issued by the insurance company elephant.co.uk reveals that Orkney is second top in the UK for claims where the driver has hit a wall. Worst of all is Halifax, where walls seem to be in danger whenever a vehicle comes along. Why Orkney should be so high up the list I do not know. Any walls you come across up here may turn out to be listed buildings, going all the way back to the Stone Age. They may have lasted for aeons, but they are in danger now.
Durham, followed by Blackpool, has the highest incidence of lamppost claims. No one knows why people in Durham seem to be attracted to lampposts whenever they get behind the wheel. Lincoln tops the list for claims for crashes involving trees over the last five years. Not many trees are knocked down by drivers in Orkney; maybe that's because there are so few trees in the Northern Isles.
Now here’s a strange thing: Scottish drivers are most likely to hit an animal, with Inverness motorists putting in the most “creature" claims, followed closely by Perth, Dumfries, Orkney and Aberdeen. Orkney again.
There are road signs in Orkney which warn that otters may be crossing the road. As part of its cost-cutting enterprise, Orkney Islands Council even employs a part-time otter to serve as a lollipop man at otter schools.
If you believe that last sentence, maybe it's time for you to have a wee chat with your GP.
Anyway, back to the main story. Some of the more unusual insurance claims include incidents involving vehicles striking badgers, monkeys, swans, horses and cows, with one policyholder hitting a rabbit which, despite its small size, wrote off the car.
That must have been some rabbit. If it’s Scottish, get it into the Scotland rugby team right away.
Elephant.co.uk managing director Brian Martin said: “Of course, any car accident is distressing, whether you hit another vehicle, an animal or an inanimate object, but we were interested in seeing if there were any trends.
“Not surprisingly, Scots were the most likely to hit an animal, as you would expect to find more wild and farm animals in more-rural areas. However, it was unclear why we would see more collisions with lampposts, trees and walls in the other areas.”
It seems, though, that the animals are striking back. One unfortunate motorist had parked his car at a garden centre and returned to find his vehicle damaged. CCTV footage revealed a camel being walked by its owner to be the destructive culprit.
Another driver was the victim of a delinquent squirrel which threw a nut from a tree, cracking the windscreen of the car, and another was the target of a weary horse who decided to rest on the vehicle's bonnet.
There have certainly been some strange insurance claims.
“The accident happened because I had one eye on the lorry in front, one eye on the pedestrian and the other on the car behind,” said one.
“I pulled into a layby with smoke coming from under the hood. I realised the car was on fire so took my dog and smothered it with a blanket,” said another.
Or how about this: “I was on my way to the doctor with rear-end trouble when my universal joint gave way, causing me to have an accident.”
Or this: “The accident was caused by me waving to the man I hit last week.”
Now we get to a more serious bit about driving. It has been revealed that motorists with speeding convictions can pay twice as much for car insurance as those with clean licences. Having points on your licence for speeding means your annual insurance premiums jump to an average of almost £1,000 a year, double the price paid by those with a blemish-free driving record. Drivers have always paid more if they have a speeding conviction as they are considered more likely to make a claim. But now the extra amount they pay is increasing. Insurers are pushing up prices to recoup some of their losses stemming from a rise in claims during the recession.
Steve Sweeney, head of motor insurance at moneysupermarket.com, said: “Speeding increases accident rates, so it’s hardly surprising insurers view a conviction dimly. Serial speeders are worse off year on year and have to fork out nearly £200 more on average for their insurance premiums compared to last year. This is the harsh reality facing anyone who has multiple points on their licence.”
A lot of motorists will complain about this, arguing that both local and national governments are simply trying to rip motorists off. They say that speed cameras are more about increasing revenues than saving lives.
There is no doubt about it that national and local authorities are always looking for ways of parting us from our money.
Nevertheless, I've always felt it was unrealistic for motorists who know they are driving above the speed limit to complain about speed cameras.
The jury is not out on the link between speeding and death on the roads. The evidence is in and is clear.
Speed kills and whether we like it or not it is reasonable to use modern technology to clamp down on people who choose to break the law. It's also not unreasonable for insurers to take more from drivers who have points on their licence.
Anyway, it might not be a good idea to walk your dog in Inverness. Now I’m about to get into my car. Walls, look out – here I come.