It comes as little surprise to anyone that the young drivers on our roads today are being charged much more for their car insurance than their older counterparts. The differences though are considerable.
A study has been carried out by an independent body, looking at the typical premiums being paid to car insurance companies such as Swinton Insurance and others like them. The research has found a difference of 115 percent between the national average car insurance cost and that paid by young drivers. The average figure for the nation is GBP439, while young drivers are paying GBP989. This works out for the young driver at nearly 70 percent of their cars value.
Could this be the reason some young drivers go without insurance it has been asked. In fact some young drivers have even had insurance declined simply because of their age, though Swinton are not understood to be one of the insurers that has done this.
A new survey carried out by Tesco Finance has come to the conclusion that van drivers are the safest motorists on the UK roads.
The study looked at insurance claims, finding a lower percentage of van insurance claims than any other type of vehicle. Tesco Finance also found that more drivers of vans receive extra training on the roads than other motorists. Perhaps then the traditional view of van drivers is out of date and should be revised. With van insurance claims so low they may well be good drivers and should see lower premiums as a result.
The counter view that Tesco Finance did not mention in their report was that it could just be that van drivers do not always make a claim when they have an accident. If you look at the knocks and scrapes on many vans this could be a real possibility.
Direct Line, a leading provider of car insurance, has asked that the new careless driving law should also encompass those drivers who are uninsured.
The new law, which came into force today, means drivers can be charged with death by careless driving, with a maximum penalty of 5 years in jail. Drivers who cause death through driving without car insurance, having no licence or having been disqualified face up to two years in jail according to Direct Line.
A spokeswoman from Direct Line felt that this situation should be reviewed as a matter of urgency since it appears somewhat unfair that the person who is breaking more laws gets a lesser sentence than the more law abiding one.