'Cash for crash' fraudsters are using a new technique in the UK to lure motorists into staged crashes, writes Brian Byrne.
They flash their headlights to signal to motorists waiting to enter traffic on a main road that they'll be let join the flow, then the fraudsters speed up and hit them side-on as they attempt to do so.
Without evidence to the contrary, the driver from the minor road is deemed in the wrong and his or her insurance pays up.
With 30,000 'cash for crash' incidents recorded in the UK each year, it's a £350m 'industry' that pushes up insurance premiums for everyone.
According to motor accessories firm Halfords, the situation is prompting more and more motorists to install 'dash cameras' which record journeys visually and can be used to defend against allegations of dangerous driving, both from fraudsters and police traffic patrols.
Such cameras have been very popular across eastern Europe for many years for the same reasons. They were also the reason that such stunning footage of the meteor burnup over Russia last year was available.
