The results from the latest AA British Insurance Premium Index have revealed that British motorists face an 11.5% rise in the cost of premiums during the third quarter, with whiplash claims, fraud and accident-prone drivers believed to be the chief reasons behind the rise.
However, although all drivers will have to endure the rises caused by both whiplash claims and fraud, it is younger drivers who will be hit hardest by the rises caused by the accident-prone driving of their contemporaries.
Simon Douglas the AA's insurance director comments, "Statistics from the Department for Transport (2009) show that a third of men killed or seriously injured on Britain's roads are under 25."
He adds, "Car crashes are by far the biggest threat to life among young people – considerably more than drugs or knife crime, for instance. These shock statistics underline why premiums for young drivers are soaring."
However, many experts, including no win, no fee lawyers, have commented that the cost of insurance premiums will not drop until road safety improves and both whiplash claims and serious personal injury claims decrease as a result.
*Where replacement vehicle costs can be recovered from the insurance company of the person who caused the accident.
Where this person is untraceable or uninsured, or where there is a dispute over liability, a replacement vehicle cannot
be provided.
