Insurance law a history lesson

Bedfordshire university insurance law lecturer Peter Tyldesley has written to the Times backing Law Commission changes to insurance law, describing study of current law as like “a history lecture, with laws dating back to 1774.

“It is absurd to apply the same rule to modern mass-market consumer policies, often purchased over the internet without the benefit of advice and with no knowledge of insurance law or practice,” he writes.

“Unsurprisingly consumers will lose confidence in insurance if equitable treatment is seen to be at the discretion of the insurer.

“The solution is law reform, giving consumers fair rights and protecting the reputation of insurers. A consumer insurance law reform bill was published by the Law Commission in 2009. It should be implemented without delay, even if the lives of students and lecturers become a little duller.”