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Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Honesty Is The Best Policy

Some of the UK's largest insurers have introduced some attractive policies for 17-29 year olds to help them with their No-claims bonuses.For example.a rapid bonus scheme whereby you insure the car for nine months, at the end of which you are credited with a full year's no-claims bonus.The advantage of this sort of policy is that you can build up a full five-year bonus in less than four years.

Earlier in 2008 one large insurer introduced a "Pay-As-You-Go"insurance initiative which was reliant on GPS systems installed in drivers cars.Unfortunately, this has been withdrawn from the market.On this scheme, the insurance premium was worked out by assessing the mileage and times of day the car was driven.So, if a motorist did more miles at off peak periods where the risk of an accident was lower, they would pay less for their car insurance.

A representative from the insurance company said, "The scheme was open to young drivers and we were able to cut their premiums.We saw a 30 per cent fall in accident rates as people thought about their car use.We had hoped, though, that the car manufacturers would start offering the GPS boxes as standard.Ultimately, the expense meant we had to call a pause."


Another insurer offers a similar scheme.

Here, cheaper premiums are offered to 17 - 22 year olds who agree not to drive between 11pm and 6am.The scheme uses GPS technology to check whether the car is used during "curfew".If it is driven during the curfew, they incur a 25 pounds penalty.This means that people can still drive at night but they have to pay for the privilege.

"We are trying to understand the dynamics of the young driver market and see what technology can do for us and the policyholder.The big idea is to price more accurately, so responsible younger drivers can avoid very high premiums" says a representative from the insurer.It is estimated that it cost 250 pounds to install the GPS technology but, for many young drivers, it is worth it.

Of course, there are conventional ways to reduce premiums.For example, look at taking the Pass Plus driving course.This advanced qualification can bring discounts of 10 per cent on premiums.

Careful consideration when choosing a car make and model can make a difference to insurance cost.Go for a smaller car in a low insurance group.And consider if you should go with third party, fire and theft cover rather than fully comprehensive, and whether you need the car for commuting or just leisure driving.

Or, voluntary excess is another recommendation.Younger drivers will have an excess imposed, but by agreeing to a slightly larger one, the premiums can be cut.

The message from all insurers is to not be tempted into what is called "fronting".This is where the car is insured by one driver but mostly driven by someone else.One of the first things insurers check when a claim comes in, is whether there has been any fronting.So it's not a wise move.

Unintentional Fronting


Kev O'Sullivan, 26, unintentionally fronted, "I had a Fiesta insured in the name of my parents but I took it to university with me.

It was only afterwards that I realised I had been fronting.The campus is quite out of town, so lots of students drive and all the ones I knew were insured in the name of their mothers or fathers.It was the only way that premiums were even remotely affordable.Why would any 18-year-old buy car insurance?"



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