Motor cover news
11/10/2010
New GDL could mean cheap car insurance for young drivers
Researchers at Cardiff University say that a new driver licensing scheme could lead to a reduction in the number of car accidents and the cost of car insurance for young drivers in the UK.
They argued that the introduction of Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) in countries like Australia and Canada has significantly cut the number of road accidents involving young drivers, and could save 200 lives a year on British roads.
GDL schemes typically prohibit young or inexperienced drivers from travelling at night and carrying passengers of a similar age; they can also ban the drinking of any alcohol before driving. As a result new licence-holders tend to have fewer accidents, and everyone gets cheaper car insurance.
"GDL works in other countries and there is no good reason why it wouldn't work here," said lead researcher Sarah Jones, speaking on Radio 4's Today programme.
However, such schemes are not universally praised in the motoring community. Its detractors say that GDL would be difficult to enforce, and that if offered the choice most young drivers would not give up night driving for the sake of a cheaper car insurance quote.
"Enforcing a blanket ban on night driving would require a significant increase in Police funding," said a spokesperson for Hoot who is an expert in car insurance for young drivers.
"Given the current financial climate, I'm not sure the Government could afford to introduce GDL in the UK."
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