Because whoever reaches the other driver first often decides how their repair and replacement vehicle are handled, which is where much of a claim's cost sits. Insurers call it third-party capture or third-party intervention. Your insurer contacts the other driver early and offers to repair their vehicle and provide a replacement. Where it succeeds, Aviva's data, published by Marsh, puts the average saving at £3,067 a claim.

How capture works

When one of your drivers is at fault, the other driver's costs come out of your claim. If your insurer hears about the incident quickly and has the other driver's details, it can contact them. It can then arrange the repair through its own network and provide a replacement vehicle at its own rates. If it hears days later, the other driver may already have gone to a credit hire firm or a claims company, whose costs your claim then carries.

The other driver keeps every right

Third-party capture doesn't take anything away from the other driver. They can accept the offer, use their own insurer or instruct a solicitor. If they've been injured, it's sensible for them to get advice before agreeing anything. A fair, early offer of a repair and a car gets them back on the road sooner.

Why speed decides it

  • Third-party costs make up 72 per cent of all claims costs on average (Marsh).
  • The daily rate for a credit hire car can be between 50 and 120 per cent more than hiring a car on the open market (Marsh).
  • A fleet that reports 47 per cent of its claims on the day can potentially capture the other driver on 67 per cent of claims. That's 40 per cent more than one reporting 22 per cent on the day (Aviva data, published by Marsh).

What the fleet controls

The insurer makes the call to the other driver. The fleet's part is giving it the chance, which means the other driver's details taken at the scene, a report to the insurer the same day and an office that checks nothing is missing before the report goes.

Where SHIELD fits

SHIELD takes the other driver's details at the roadside, as part of the driver's report in the SHIELD app. The incident reaches your insurer within minutes after a quick check in the office, which gives your insurer its best chance to reach the other driver early.

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Sources: Marsh, "Benefits of Reporting Motor Claims Quickly", October 2025, using Aviva data.