20% of young drivers have a crash within their first year as a qualified driver and young drivers are also more than ten times likely to have a serious accident than experienced drivers. These sobering facts are having a knock-on effect on car insurance for teenagers. New drivers insurance and more specifically, young drivers' insurance costs have rocketed. In fact some insurers refuse to sanction car insurance for teenagers and will not insure people under the age of 21. Some insurers have gone even further, classing anyone under the age of 25 as requiring young drivers insurance and have refused to offer new drivers insurance to this age group.

Car Insurance for Teenagers Premiums Rise

Increasing the cost of car insurance for teenage drivers has resulted not only in the rising cost of premiums, but also fraud, as young people try to avoid high premiums. Several schemes have been developed to address the problem of the poor driving habits of young people, particularly those who have already fallen foul of the law by speeding, driving without seat belts, or using a mobile phone while driving. However, these schemes are unlikely to have a positive effect on car insurance for teenagers, or young drivers insurance as a whole.

Young Drivers Insurance Driving Courses

Drive Smart has been launched across North Wales in the form of two thousand free courses, which aim to reduce accident rates among drivers, with the hope that it will reduce the cost of new driver insurance in the long term. There is some dismay that the courses have not been backed by insurance companies, with the aim being to reduce accidents and drive down insurance premiums for new drivers insurance. However the Pass Plus scheme, which is available in some parts of the United Kingdom, helps to reduce the cost of car insurance for teenagers and young drivers insurance by carrying on training for a further year. This is run in conjunction with insurance companies and has the added bonus that it allows insurance companies to reduce new drivers insurance once they have passed the extra lessons, which are designed to build on the driving skills already learned during lessons leading up to the driving test.

The Association of British Drivers is encouraging the government to introduce more courses to help increase driver education and experience in the first year of driving. Over confidence can be a major factor in the cause of driving accidents, and the course helps to address these problems by helping young people and new drivers to be more aware of potential problems. However, the association recommends that, as a result of taking courses such as these, young drivers insurance for those people who have passed the extra test should be reduced. Increasing education for new drivers should help to promote better driving, but motivation, in the form of lower new driver insurance would encourage more people to take up the option. A government accredited course would not only help to influence young drivers to continue with their driving education, but would also give a firm basis for insurers to become involved with the scheme.

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© June 2009