Motorists With Speeding Convictions Pay Double for Car Insurance

Source Telegraph, 22nd January 2010

Motorists convicted of speeding pay twice as much for their car insurance as those with clean licences, research suggests. Having points on your licence for speeding means your annual insurance premiums jump to an average of almost £1,000 a year, up £180 on last year and double the price paid by those with clean driving records.

Drivers have always paid more if they have a speeding conviction as they are thought more likely to make a claim. But now the extra amount they pay is increasing. It is being pushed up by insurers who are trying to recoup some of their losses stemming from a rise in claims during the recession.

Steve Sweeney, head of motor insurance at moneysupermarket.com said: “Speeding increases accident rates so it’s hardly surprising insurers view a conviction dimly. Serial speeders are worse off year on year and have to fork out nearly £200 more on average for their insurance premiums compared to last year. This is the harsh reality facing anyone who has multiple points on their licence.”

One third of insurance providers will not increase premiums for just one blemish on your record, but serial speeding offenders will find fewer providers willing to insure them and at increased prices.

The average amount paid in annual premiums for a 30-year old male teacher driving a Ford Focus is £546, according to the findings by price comparison website Moneysupermarket.com. It compares with average annual premiums of £623 if the same driver has three points on their licence and £958 if he has nine points.

The worst offending drivers are males aged between 17 and 21 who live in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland, with 54 per cent of this group picking up a speeding conviction. They are followed by men in their 30s living in Swindon and Sheffield where 52 per cent and 30 per cent respectively have speeding convictions.