Drivers no longer penalised as insurers turn a blind eye to penalty points

More than a quarter of UK households now have a least one driver with a speeding conviction and more than 12 million motorists have been caught by speed cameras since they were introduced in 1992. In 2004 more than 2 million people received 3 points on their license. Getting points has always been a concern to drivers as many car insurance companies traditionally raise premiums as a result of speeding convictions.

Insurers used to raise premiums by at least £50 for the first conviction and by at least £250 for 9 penalty points. Some insurers now avoid penalising drivers for getting speeding convictions and only raise premiums for 6 or 9 penalty points.

A survey has been carried out by A&A Group on drivers in St. Albans, Hertfordshire, who had four years’ no claims bonus, and drove a Ford Focus 1.6 valued at £5,000. The study showed that for a woman of thirty premiums would not be affected if she received 6 points. If she received 9 points the premium would rise by £36.

Insurers now take a more rounded view of drivers with penalty points. Different circumstances are taken into account, such as high mileage motorists who are more likely to acquire speeding convictions. If you are caught by a camera this is likely to be frowned upon less than if you have been stopped by the traffic police.

For many drivers this is very good news as getting caught driving just above the 30mph limit is so commonplace. Many young drivers find the cost of motoring a struggle anyway and when faced with increasing car insurance premiums they may find that they cannot afford to drive at all. Low cost car insurance is very important to many new motorists. It may still be possible to get cheap young driver car insurance even with three penalty points.

Despite this relaxation being good news for drivers, safety groups are worried about the impact of not penalising motorists for speeding. They believe that there will be less of a deterrent for drivers to speed.

webmaster@hootcarinsurance.co.uk

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