Are You An Ambler Gambler? - Jumping Lights Costs Drivers Dearly
New research from www.Confused.com – the UK’s leading online car insurance quote engine – has revealed that traffic light offences and driving convictions cost drivers in the UK around £400 million* every year. Men are worst affected by these costs as they are just under three times as likely as women to jump traffic lights, increasing their premiums by up to 52%.
(PRWEB) November 13, 2005 -- New research from www.Confused.com – the UK's leading online car insurance quote engine – has revealed that traffic light offences and driving convictions cost drivers in the UK around £400 million* every year. Men are worst affected by these costs as they are just under three times as likely as women to jump traffic lights, increasing their premiums by up to 52%.
Results from Confused.com’s research of 1.9 million drivers show that nationally, over 12% of UK drivers have a driver conviction. While 12,143 men between January and June 2005 drove through lights on red or burnt away from the lights on red or amber, just 4,616 women took the amber gamble.
Interestingly, Confused.com's research shows that age plays a negligible part in attitudes towards traffic lights as men and women aged between 17 and 25 are just as likely to jump signals as drivers between the ages of 40 and 50.
The implications of jumping lights are not just the risk of being stopped by the police and receiving 3 points on your license, plus a £60 fine; you could also see a dramatic hike in your car insurance.
While one conviction results in a 5-7% increase on car insurance premiums, drivers who are caught jumping lights on more than one occasion can expect major leaps in their car insurance premiums. Drivers with two convictions for jumping lights can typically expect a 21% rise in their car insurance, compared to a driver with no convictions, while drivers who are caught taking the amber gamble for a third time can expect an increase of between 40-52%.
Kate Armstrong, Managing Director of Confused.com, commented on the research findings: "Many car insurers see a distinct link between drivers jumping lights and the increased likelihood of car insurance claims and accidents. Not all, however, penalise drivers in the same way, which means that if you do have points on your license, shopping around can bring back major savings.
"Male or female, young or old, Confused.com can help compare the best car insurance premiums for all drivers, providing hundreds of pounds of savings, while taking the hassle out of the annual trawl for car insurance."
http://www.Confused.com provides a free, real-time car insurance comparison service to drivers, which instantly compares prices from 96% of the car insurance market, bringing back a full list of premiums in under five minutes. The service typically searches 170 insurance rates to find the best available deal, and saves users an average of £150 on their annual premiums.
*Total cost of driver convictions takes into account fines paid and increases in insurance premiums for the 12% of UK drivers that commit such offences. It does not include the base cost of insurance itself. Calculations are based on there being 26 million drivers in the UK.
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