Motorists across the UK could be making simple insurance mistakes that could lead to serious fraud prosecutions.

For example, making honest mistakes when filling out personal details such as your address or name can land you in hot water.

If you don’t provide enough information, provide the wrong information or aren’t clear about something, it could mean that in the event of an accident, you aren’t covered by your insurer provider. For example, if you’re asked how many miles you drive or what your occupation is, answering dishonestly could mean you’re left with a mammoth repair bill if you have an accident.

It could also affect other vehicles in your policy, for example if you have six wheel car and bike insurance, or any future insurance applications, such as home insurance.

Whether the errors are made on purpose by accident doesn’t matter, motorists could still be caught out and fined. In some cases, depending on how serious it is, there could even be criminal prosecutions.

This is because the personal information provided is used to calculate the cost of your insurance policy.

Important information to accurately provide includes:

• Any previous convictions
• The number of penalty points you have
• Personal information such as name, address and occupation
• Listing the main policy holder (and not ‘fronting’ the premium with someone more experienced)

How does insurance fraud affect other drivers?

Insurance fraud has a widespread negative effect on UK drivers and is thought to cost motorists around £50 extra per policy. So the more people that are dishonest when it comes to their insurance, the more policy prices get pushed up. Whether it’s  car insurance or motorbike insurance, trying to save some pennies in the short-term can end up costing you more in the long-term. So always aim to provide as much detail and accurate information as possible.