Scots could save £60m on car insurance after Glasgow solicitors offer free legal cover

Dallas McMillan Partner and Head of Litigation, Gordon Bell

Research by Glasgow-based personal injury lawyers Dallas McMillan has found that if everyone turns down their car insurer’s offer of additional “legal expenses insurance” when it comes up for annual renewal and downloads their new app instead, they could save up to £61.5 million a year.

Currently, every year Scots buy an estimated 2.05 million motor policies containing the add-on legal expenses cover, at a typical cost of £30.

In a move that could shake up the Scottish motor insurance market, the Dallas McMillan RTA Assistance app gives anyone involved in a road accident access to immediate legal advice and help free of charge – fault or no fault.

People using the app get free telephone advice at the scene of the accident along with free recovery-vehicle attendance, with their damaged vehicle taken to secure storage if required. 

By contrast, normal RAC/AA/Green Flag cover only applies to breakdowns, not to accidents. Everyone using the Dallas McMillan app also receives a free courtesy car until theirs is repaired. 

Dallas McMillan partner and head of litigation, Gordon Bell, said: “As one of Scotland’s leading personal injury lawyer firms, we came to realise that the legal expenses insurance cover offered by motor insurers gave Scottish motorists limited benefits at a considerable extra cost. 

“So, we designed our innovative new app to replace this expensive part of motor insurance cover with an equivalent and entirely free scheme.” 

In addition, if the accident is not the app-user’s fault, the Dallas McMillan RTA Assistance app provides free handling of the repair process, with no need to involve the person’s own insurers, no need to pay any insurance policy excess and no loss of no-claims bonus. 

And where the accident has caused injury, one of Dallas McMillan’s team of solicitors will pursue the person’s injury claim against the insurers of the driver who caused the accident, charging the client no legal fees if they win.

This allows the claimant to retain 100 per cent of the compensation recovered. Typically, injury-claim lawyers will charge a success fee of between 20 and 25 per cent of the claim payout.

Bell added: “Our new app provides all road-users with easy access via their smartphones to help when they most need it: from initial at-the-scene phone advice and safe recovery of their car, through high-quality repair of their vehicle, to successful conclusion of their compensation claim.

“If you are unlucky enough to be involved in a road accident – whether as a private driver, commercial driver, passenger, cyclist, motorist or even simply an unlucky pedestrian – then no matter the location or circumstances, there is specialist 24-hour administrative and legal help available to you on the telephone 365 days per year through our app, all free of charge.

“It’s well worth taking a minute to download. You or a family member may need it one day.”

Dallas McMillan’s app is available from the Apple App Store for iOS devices and on Google Play for Android. People can also download it by scanning the QR code on the company’s website.