VAN INSURANCE NEWS ROUNDUP: 7 DAYS ENDING 30 MAY 2014:
Think car insurance is hard to find for young drivers? Think about how hard it is to get commercial van insurance and your head will positively spin around.
Nothing is quite painful to a younger driver than finding a car or van insurance company willing to provide cover. It’s not necessarily anyone’s fault, either – younger drivers are statistically more likely to end up in an accident, and as a result insurers adjust their rate quotes accordingly (or not so accordingly) – but it’s becoming a lot harder for a younger Brit to get on the road nowadays.
Trying to find a good job when you’re young can be difficult – you don’t have much experience, and if you live in a location that has poor transport links you absolutely need your own motor to get to interviews. Of course you can’t afford a vehicle unless you’ve got a job, but you can’t get the job without a vehicle; it’s the ultimate Catch-22, one that younger drivers have had to break by going to the Bank of Mum and Dad for some funds.
Of course most parents are glad to help, but only to a point – the problem is that the cost of a first car – usually a used Astra or something similar – is much less than the insurance cover for that same motor. Things get even worse if you’re the entrepreneurial sort and you want to go into business for yourself; try finding a van insurance company that will give you a fair shake!
Of course, even if you do get on the road you have to worry about accidents. Believe it or not but a new study found that younger Brits have car accidents more often on rural roads than in cities – and that includes London! The biggest hotspot for accidents involving drivers under the age of 20 was found to be Dyfed Powys if you can believe that – the area had a casualty rate of 18 per cent for that age group, and that’s ridiculously high when you think about how the same age group only makes up about 1.5 per cent of drivers.