The Opposition has laid down some proposals that would come as happy tidings to the UK youth, if passed. According to the Labour party’s proposals, young people now stand to enjoy lower insurance premiums on the condition that the cars they drive are used to get to college or work.
According to the Opposition, the skyrocketing car insurance rates have been “pricing young people out of driving”.
The Labour Party has called for cheaper premiums to be offered to young people in the age group of 17-24, on the basis of “work journeys only” so as to encourage them to complete their education or take up jobs.
The leading insurance experts in the country have admitted that the proposal was an interesting one but with dubious practicality.
The insurers have stated that young people under the age of 25 are the ones most likely to be involved in accidents. They also cited this to be the reason why drivers under 25 are the ones who pay higher premiums at present.
The numbers on record support this claim by showing that men under the age of 25 are five times more liable to be involved in collisions and crashes as compared to those aged between 30 and 59.
However, the Labour Party stands firm behind its proposals, saying that a majority of young people have cited insurance costs and rising train and bus fares to be the primary reason holding them back from getting a job or a standard education.
It also said that offers of cheap car insurance for “specified” journeys, namely studying in college or going to work, would help the youth to get back on its feet.
John Woodcock, shadow Transport minister seems to be in accord with the Opposition’s demands. He was quoted saying, “With over one million young people unemployed, we need to remove as many barriers as possible to finding work.”
“The sky-high cost of car insurance for young people is making it impossible for those who need to drive to be able to take up a job opportunity or stay on in education and training,” Woodcock continued.
The proposals made by the Labour are being termed as the “new deal”, which recommend cheaper premiums to go hand-in-hand with a redoubled standard of safety courses and road awareness to make young people “responsible drivers”. This also involves a reviewed driving test, a change most ministers are already looking to implement.
John Woodcock was characteristic in his support for UK’s youth. In an interview, he stated: “Instead of simply pricing young people out of driving, insurance firms could help responsible young drivers by offering a choice of cheaper products that provide insurance at specified time to those who need their cars for work, education or training and are prepared to avoid situations where more accidents occur.”
If these proposals come into effect, young people can look forward to a positive change in the quotes offered by car insurance comparison websites. The ‘New Deal’ seems to be rallying quite a strong support behind it, so it doesn’t seem long before insurers start looking at some drastic revisions in the premiums offered to young drivers.