Car insurance neglected by 1 in 5 young drivers

Written by Editorial Team

26 August 2009 / by Rachael Stiles

A fifth of young drivers are on the roads without car insurance, a new report from the Motor Insurance Bureau has revealed today.

Around 243,000 young drivers are uninsured, the report finds, which director of AA Insurance, Simon Douglas, says while this is not surprising, “it is shocking to see this statistic confirmed.”

A far greater proportion of young drivers are uninsured compared to the average driver, which is one in 20, and coupled with inexperience which makes young drivers 10 times more likely to have an accident, this illustrates that they pose a far greater risk on the road.

Uninsured drivers cost the insurance industry £500million a year, Mr Douglas said, a cost which is passed onto insured drivers, amounting to £30 being added to each driver’s car insurance policy.

“Young drivers statistically are a bad risk” said Ashton West, chief executive of the Motor Insurers’ Bureau. “They are many times more likely to have an accident.”

“Young drivers think that they can drive, but it takes years to become an experienced driver,” Mr West added.

With higher premiums to reflect the higher risk they pose to car insurance providers, the younger generation claim that car insurance for young drivers is too expensive, which is why many choose to avoid this expense by simply not taking any out.

But, the AA believes that young drivers who make an effort to improve their driving standards should be rewarded with cheaper premiums

“One out of every five young drivers suffers a crash within their first year of driving,” Mr Douglas said, “But that doesn’t mean that all young drivers are reckless or irresponsible behind the wheel.”

The consequences of driving without appropriate car insurance can result in points on the driver’s license, a fine, arrest, or the car being scrapped.

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