Young driver news
10/08/2010
Media scare mongering tactics harm car insurance
Many sources in the media have made reports recently that the high cost of car insurance for young drivers has caused a major rise in uninsured drivers, but headlines such as "Teenager quoted £17,000 to insure his £2,000 Vauxhall Corsa" do not do much to encourage young drivers to "search for the best quote", says car insurance spokesperson.
The quoted headline appeared in the Daily Mail and was followed by a story about a 16- year-old learner driver which began by accusing insurers of using the high pricing of young driver's car insurance as a way to keep young male drivers of the road.
"His case highlights how insurers are increasingly using prohibitive premiums as a weapon against young male drivers," the article read alluding to the highest quote the boy received.
It took quite a bit of reading to find out that the 16-year-old provisional driver had found a quote for £2,257 for comprehensive insurance.
The newspaper stated that the average driver pays around £704 for their car insurance premium and that young drivers – usually those in the 17 to 24 age bracket - pay an average of £1,500 more.
So, in fact this very young driver appears to have got a good deal on his car insurance for young drivers as he is paying the industry standard and has not even passed his test yet.
The article did provide debate from various industry commentators, but at least one insurance provider felt the headline itself was damaging.
A spokesperson for Hoot, commented, "The headline in The Daily Mail is a blatant scare mongering tactic. The reason why car insurance for young drivers is high by comparison to other drivers is extremely well-documented.
"Reporting of this nature does little to encourage young drivers to search for the best quote or to modify their driving behaviour as a group, so that the risk of ensuring young drivers is reduced."
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