A young drivers petition is calling for a £1,200 cap on their insurance after it was created, gathering thousands of signatures.
A petition on gov.uk started by Rhys Michael Parker has had over 179,000 signatures and will be considered for debate by MPs. The petition has over 9,000 signatures in the Greater Manchester area alone.
According to the Young Drivers Report by The Co-operative Insurance, road accidents are the biggest killer of young people in the UK, and 44% of young drivers said they have been in some kind of accident, even if It was minor, with 24% saying accidents could have been avoided if they would have had more time to learn how to drive, as 1 in 5 passed their driving test after 3 month or less of having lessons.
Accidents are the main reason why insurance is so high for young drivers, drivers aged 17-19 make up only 1.5% of UK licence holders, but make up 9% of serious crashes. 46% of young drivers in the North West have had an accident.
The road safety charity Brake said that and 18-year-old driver is three times more likely to crash than someone in their 40’s.
Abbie Murphy from Bolton who is 20 and a young driver said “I got my first year free on this deal at Toyota but I wouldn’t have been able to afford it [after the first year] because it cost £1,600 for a year, but I’ve just got a quote for £997 for my second year, so if I hadn’t have done that I wouldn’t have been able to drive. It’s difficult. Unfortunately, I have to drive as part of my job so it hasn’t left me with much choice.”
Paying for insurance is said to cost a young person one third of their yearly income, and one in five young people say it is the most expensive thing they pay for.
John Hill who is also 20 and a young driver from Bolton said “my insurance was £1,100 with a black box. Without the box it would’ve been over £1,400 and one company quoted me £16,000. I’ve never been mugged but that’s probably what it feels like.”
The government responded to the young drivers petition, saying “motor insurance premiums can vary according to the risks associated with different types of driver, vehicle and other factors such as age and driving experience. Motor insurance is a very competitive market and shopping around for the best possible option before making any decisions is likely to benefit customers.”
If you wish to sign the young drivers petition you can do so here.
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