The cost to us for uninsured drivers

Young men top uninsured list

February, 2010

Male motorists living in Dumfriesshire are the most likely to have a conviction for driving uninsured, according a respected source within the Insurance Industry.

The  analysis came from  almost three million car insurance quotes given over a year and found that men in their early twenties living in the Scottish town of Sanquhar in Dumfriesshire, have the highest proportion of convictions on their license for driving uninsured (28%).

Men of the same age living in Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire, and those in Glasgow, take second and third place, with 24% and 20% respectively having the IN10 conviction.

Boy racers

Men under 25, generally speaking, seem to be the least responsible group of drivers  from all categories, they appear to be both boy racers and law breakers

With half of the top ten profiles for uninsured drivers being males under 25 years old, they are more likely to flout the law by driving without car insurance.

Unfortunately the high cost of car insurance, especially for younger drivers, could be the overriding reason for this. With recent news that the cost of comprehensive car insurance increased by almost 19% in 2009,2 we could see the number of uninsured drivers on our roads increase in the future.

Women drivers

Only one female profile appearing in the top ten. Female motorists in their early twenties living in the market town of Dunstable in Bedfordshire take seventh spot.

Postcode/ Area/ Age / Gender/ Offence Code/ % of convictions

• DG4/ Sanquhar, Dumfriesshire/ 22 – 25/ Male/ IN10/ 28.42%
• HX7/ Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire/ 22 – 25/ Male/ IN10/ 24.88%
• G14/ Glasgow/ 22 – 25/ Male/ IN10/ 20.43%
• M12/ Manchester/ 31 – 40/ Male/ IN10/ 17.42%
• KA4 Galston, Ayrshire/ 17 – 21/ Male/ IN10/ 15.79%
• E9/ Hackney, London/ 51 +/ Male/ IN10/ 14.39%
• B7/ Nechells, Birmingham/ 51 +/ Male/ IN10/ 14.29%
• LU5/ Dunstable, Bedfordshire/ 22 – 25/ Female/ IN10/ 12.84%
• HR6/ Leominster/ 22 – 25/ Male/ IN10/ 12.45%
• W11/ Notting Hill, London/ 31 – 40/ Male/ IN10/ 12.37%

Drivers aged 18 cause 50 collisions every day

Latest research from the ABI (Association of British Insurers) highlights how vulnerable young drivers are to having a serious motor accident. Every day four people are killed or seriously injured in accidents involving young drivers. The findings reinforce the ABI’s call for a minimum one-year learning period for all learner drivers, and restrictions on the number of teenage passengers young novice drivers can carry.

The ABI’s analysis of insurance claims involving young drivers reveals that:

• Drivers aged 18 cause 50 collisions every day – nearly three times as many as drivers in their fifties.
• Inexperience affects young novice drivers more than older novice drivers: an 18 year-old driver with one year’s experience is twice as likely to make a claim as a 30 year-old driver with one year’s experience.
• Passenger restrictions in the first year of driving could significantly reduce the accident risk. In the USA such restrictions have reduced fatal crashes by up to 37%.

Nick Starling, the ABI’s Director of General Insurance and Health said:

“Every year 50,000 17 year-olds pass their driving test with less than six months driving experience. One in three of these drivers are likely to be involved in an accident within the first two years after passing their test. Too often these accidents end in tragedy. Introducing a structured minimum one-year learning period, and passenger restrictions will help today’s young drivers become tomorrow’s safer motorists. We urge the Government to act now to protect young motorists and their families.”