Most uninsured drivers are young and inexperienced, largely due to high insurance premiums. The Pass Plus scheme aims to improve new drivers’ skills and reduce premiums, so why don’t all insurers support it?
Let’s say you’re a young driver aged 17, and you’ve passed your test. You have a pretty bog-standard car, costing around £1,000.
But now you have to get some insurance. The odds are you’ll pay between two and four times the cost of your car for annual motor insurance. That’s steep, especially for someone so young, and it’s a key reason why young drivers form the largest proportion of uninsured motorists.
How can young drivers get affordable insurance?
Which? Conversation commenter Ron Adams thinks it’s only common sense that insurance should be made available for young drivers:
“The main problem is that too many young drivers do not insure their vehicle because of the high cost. If young drivers’ premiums were reduced we may get most of them taking out insurance, hence the total income to the insurance companies would be the same.”
Sure, the insurance sector’s had it hard. Payouts are high, especially with more of us sticking in personal injury claims. But where can a 17-year-old get an affordable insurance policy? It’s not clear.
Those in the know will point to the insurance brokers and specialist providers. Others will say to go on a Pass Plus scheme, which are training courses for new drivers designed by the Driving Standards Agency. They’re run by local authorities and will entitle you to a discount on your insurance. But not all insurers play ball on this one.
Support the Pass Plus scheme
I think it’s time that the insurance industry invests in its future, and does more to protect all of us, no matter what our age. It needs to support the Pass Plus scheme and give young drivers the chance to get affordable insurance.
If insurers don’t act soon, what with premiums rising as high as they are, more and more young drivers will take to the roads without cover. And that’s going to cause problems for all of us, whether we’re drivers or pedestrians.