Pass Plus – the solution for young uninsured drivers?

I’d need more facts to comment on this. Firstly, when you say ‘Most uninsured drivers are young and inexperienced’ do the statistics include underage or banned drivers who would not get insurance anyway?

Secondly, is there any evidence that the Pass Pluss scheme reduces the number of accidents caused by young drivers? I suspect most insurance companies will not reduce their prices until there is evidence drivers who successfully complete the course are less likely to cause an accident.

I can only think of three solutions to this problem. One is to return to the original principle of insurance that we all share the total risks of motoring equally. No age distictions, no no-claim bonus; we all share the cost of accidents. Clearly this would be unacceptable to good drivers!

Two, Insurance companies could offer lower rates in exchange for loyalty from younger drivers. Maybe a 15 year contract? This would be very difficult, if not impossible, to administer, and there would be high penalties for drivers who broke the contract.

Three, we have a effective and agressive system that quickly identifies uninsured drivers. Maybe a visual disc to add to the tax disc, or a system where you can only buy petrol if you have an insurance card. I’m sure cival liberties groups would see this as an identity card.

When I began driving it was accepted that I would have to pay high insurance costs until I’d proved I was a good driver. It was my responsibility; no-one elses. I appreciate this is very unfair on good young drivers, but I can’t see any alternative that would be acceptable.

I have to agree – I haven’t seen any evidence that good young drivers pay any more than they used to do when I was a young driver. I know I was shocked when I found how much I had to pay as a young driver but I paid it.. My first car was worth less than £50 the insurance was £200 third party fire and theft.

The difference now is there are far more drivers – young or old – on the road prepared to drive without insurance – and – far too many of them are not caught. 1.25 million of them.

Yet is must be easy enough to catch them – if there were more of the new cameras – more police – stopping more .bad drivers.- crushing more cars – fining them heavily enough so they can’t afford to buy another car.- they did that with road fund licence evasion

Make a current valid insurance and driving licence of the registered driver a condition of the issuing an MOT.certificate. Fit every garage with a number plate recognition camera – no valid recognition of associated valid insurance – no petrol.

The technology is there use it.

Only then could insurance companies afford to reduce premiums. Premiums are fixed to reflect the cost of the market and adequate profit.

My observation of leaner drivers under tuition and of young drivers on the road suggests that driving instruction is inadequate. In my opinion there needs to be a drastic revision to the learner driver curriculum to match current driving conditions and modern cars. Pass Plus should, as a minimum, be integrated into current driving instruction. On a daily basis I see the most basic driving errors being made, not all by young drivers, and believe that tuition and testing needs to be more exacting. At the moment, so far as I know, driving instructors are rated over a range of expertise. This seems to be crazy. An instructor should be fully competent to the highest standard prior to teaching. Amongst many sins I’ve seen instructors tutoring without lights in conditions of rain and poor visibility, contrary to the Highway code. I’ve seen instructors talking to learners while parked in restricted areas of many types. I don’t blame the learners when they are subjected to poor teaching.

I’m sorry but – passing any test only shows that a person has the knowledge and ability TO pass the test at the time it was taken – It does not show or guarantee the actual behaviour of that driver after the test.

My experience shows that far too many drivers drive badly irrespective of their qualifications. That is from simple speeding to totally irresponsible cutting up – tail gating or jumping lights.

More severe penalties could curb the tendency to drive thoughtlessly.