Young drivers insurance news
20/05/2009
Legal action and high costs of snacking at wheel
Drinking, eating and even laughing while driving can push up the cost of insurance for young drivers as well as older, more experienced motorists.
Motor cover premiums can increase as much as a swingeing £200 should drivers be caught sipping from a bottle of water, eating a banana or tuning a radio.
Many motorists do consume food and drink behind the wheel but now insurers are said to be stepping up efforts to penalise those caught in the act of eating or drinking in vehicles.
Drivers can be charged by police for 'distracted behaviour'. One motorist has been stopped for laughing! In Manchester, spy cars are currently used to photograph guilty snackers while at the wheel.
Questions about previous motoring convictions from insurers are common and anyone with the CD10 distracted behaviour code could face a 40 per cent increase in their quoted premium.
Insurance for young drivers - or others - can be impossible to obtain if convicted of distracted behaviour. Some firms will not cover motorists convicted of the offence.
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