Insurance woes hurt the pockets of motorists

Everyone knows that driving a car means you have a fair few extra expenses like maintenance, fuel as well as insurance which can in many cases be a hefty cost for being able to drive. The thing with insurance is that it is mandatory in the UK and most other countries and driving without it will often cost you much more than its worth.

A recent report had an estimated 3% of 580,000 British Motorists driving without adequate car insurance coverage, typically this can be people who have been priced out of the market as they are deemed a large risk to the insurers and so have been saddled with large premiums. These drivers tend to be younger or less-experienced and for many of them a premium above the £1,000 mark is the best they can do.

The problem for them is that if they are caught then they stand to potentially lose their license or even their vehicle by driving uninsured. As well as this if an uninsured driver were to be involved with another driver then it would mean that rather than a simple exchange of insurance details it would drag the whole process out with court cases often being the result.

The worst part for the unlucky soul who is involved in an accident with an uninsured driver is that their no claims bonus will likely be affected and in these days of financial uncertainty drivers are clinging to their no claims bonus so that they can keep their expenses in check. Some insurance companies will offer no claims bonus protection schemes which again cost extra.

Luckily with advances in driver databases as well as an increased attention by the police a lot of these cases of drivers without car insurance are being picked up on before they are able to cause any woes for those properly insured. This is a comforting move for the insured drivers as it is estimated that uninsured drivers are nine times more likely to be at fault in the event of a crash.

Renewed interest has come for the uninsured driver issue as the financial climate is making it much more tempting for those with rising premiums to simply let their insurance coverage run out. But with Police in many counties issuing fines of £200 and six driving points for their license it is hoped that people will shake the belief that a fine works out cheaper than their £1,000 insurance premium. Two instances of being caught without insurance equal a driving ban or loss of license which would hurt most drivers more.

But with car insurance premiums on the rise what can drivers do to try and make the cost more appealing? Well the abundance of insurance comparison sites make it pretty easy for drivers to compare car insurance as opposed to phoning all the insurers up personally to get quotes which is what many of us have had to do in the past.

Those who are looking to pass their driving test soon should consider continuing their driving education with the Pass Plus scheme as this has been found to help lower premiums due to the wider range of driving situations which the driver has been educated on like motorway driving. There are still ways drivers can cut their insurance costs besides getting rid of their coverage all together which is clearly becoming a more costly method for motorists.