Improved Safety Standards Could Help Young Motorists

Posted on March 6, 2013 by WebTeam

You must be aware that the younger motorist pays more for their car insurance than any other driver when taking age into account. In fact, car insurance premiums are so restrictive for youngsters that many of them cannot afford to put a car on the road.

At the present time the average annual car insurance premium for someone in the 17 to 18 year old age bracket is in excess of £1,800. In some cases, they are paying more for their car insurance each month than they are for their monthly car loan repayments.

It is the opinion of the Association of British Insurers (ABI) that if new safety standards were brought in by the government as many as three million young drivers could save as much as £370 every year on their car insurance premiums. That is a saving of 20% on what the average young motorist is paying at the moment.

Otto Thoresen, who is the Director General of the ABI, stated: “Sadly, young newly qualified drivers are at a much higher risk of having a serious crash on our roads, which is reflected in the cost of their car insurance. Insurers want to see young drivers become safe drivers, which in turn will result in more affordable premiums.”

In order to improve safety standards, which would also reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries caused by car crashes, the ABI have suggested that young drivers should go through a minimum period of one year to learn to drive. Furthermore, a young driver should be limited as to the number of young passengers they carry in their car. It has also been suggested that young drivers who have passed their test quite recently should be restricted when it comes to travelling in the dark as this is a time of day that is known to result in an increased number of car accidents. The ABI also want zero tolerance as far as drink driving is concerned for young drivers.

Interestingly, 40% of male drivers who are 17 years of age are involved in a car accident in their initial six months driving.

The proposals put forward by the ABI along with some other proposals are to be considered by the government.