Insurance for young drivers set to soar
ROBERT FAIRBURN
Young drivers could see their annual car insurance premiums rise to more than £3000 within the next 10 years, it was predicted yesterday.
The high number of accidents and convictions for dangerous driving among 17 to 21-year-olds have resulted in insurers increasing charges by 92% over the past decade. Watchdogs believe the trend will continue.
The uSwitch.com website says it could cost a young driver as much as £3097 to insure a Ford Fiesta.
Average premiums for all drivers are now around £409 year but for 17 to 21 year-olds the figure is £948 with young men being charged £1181.
If premiums continue to rise at this rate, by 2017 the average young driver can expect to pay more than £3000 for annual car insurance.
Young drivers represent just 4.2% of the market yet they account for 16% of motoring offences and 34% of dangerous driving offences.
This combined with the fact young male drivers are also 10 times more likely to be involved in an accident explains why insurers charge younger drivers higher premiums.
Aron Thompson, head of insurance at uSwitch.com, said: "Young drivers do get a raw deal when it comes to insuring their cars.
"While they are typically deemed a more risky group of drivers because of their lack of experience on the roads and prevalence of dangerous driving, unfortunately all young people, even if they are sensible drivers, get tarnished with the same brush.
"We urge young drivers to research the cost of insurance before buying a car."
Earlier this year, the Scottish Executive introduced a six-month pilot scheme in Grampian to help young motorists with the cost of advanced driver training in an effort to cut the number of road deaths.
The north-east has the highest fatal accident rate in Scotland for drivers aged 17 to 25. A total of 62 people died on the region's roads last year.
The scheme provides half the cost of advanced driver training. When this is added to local authority funding already on offer, it means a £150 course could cost as little as £15.© All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/news/display.var.1412195.0.0.php
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment