http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/5300930.stm

"Car insurance costs look set to rise following a move by Norwich Union, the UK's second largest car insurer, to raise its rates by an average of 16%.

The firm said its hand had been forced by a similar rise in claim costs over the past two years, during which time insurance rates had remained static.

Norwich Union said claims for personal injuries had been the main reason for the rise in its costs.

Insurance for riskier customers, such as young men, will rise by up to 40%."

They also go on to blame the rising number of uninsured drivers which is fair enough , but I'm sure that more young men , faced with a 40% rise will decide that insurance is optional.

Heard about it on the news,

To me that means more uninsured drivers on the road. What they need to do is drop premiums, then maybe more people can afford it and take out policies.

The problem is , if they drop the cost of premiums they will be selling them at a loss which isn't going to happen.

I see what you're getting at Mannyo but it would be a huge gamble for an insurer to drop premiums on the assumption that more people would go with them.

I feel very sorry for any lads trying to insure their first car :eek:

The problem is I'm 26 and the mythical it will come down at 25 never happened!

My insurance is about £1000 a year for a bleeding Octy TDI, I mean it's not exactly a quick car. I was paying far ore than the insurance paid out per year when some scrote wrote my car off.

I wouldn't drive without insurance, but it seems to me very obvious why some people do. Rather than putting prices up for everyone else, these uninsured drivers need to be convinced that either a) they need to get insurance or if you can't afford the car plus extras you can't drive.

i already pay £1200 to insure my fabia, a rise in the premium would almost certainly mean i could nolonger afford it. looks like my days of driving £20 fiesta's with no insurance are returning!

looks like my days of driving

Big deal. Sieze the car, crush it and jail sentances....

Hampshire police (according to Traffic Cops) now have the power to remove uninsured cars from the road and get them crushed :thumbup:

Chris

looks like my days of driving

Well I only pay about

The rise is partly due to w*nkers who dont have insurance.

yes yes, i never have nor never will drive on the roads without insurance!!

but is it fair that that premiums are bumped up?? after all it is a legal requirement to have insurance, so ad far as i see it the are just profiteering from youngsters like myself! i've only had one accident which wasn't my fault, and in the 5 years i've been driving i've got no speeding points so why persecute me?? it's unfair!

what if someone who wasnt insured had a no-fault accident and killed a child?

they should go to jail!

I have just insured my Fabia vRS for

Hampshire police (according to Traffic Cops) now have the power to remove uninsured cars from the road and get them crushed :thumbup:

And a lawyer is trying to get car crushing and removing of cars stopped because it infringes the owners human rights ,something to do with the right to own property and not have it taken away from you for a minjor offence that appears in the "european human rights act":

it's unfair!

In the same way it is unfair that (as you clearly state above) some people drive around in

if it happens it happens or rather when it happens ill still be insuring mine as its the only real luxary in life that i have dont smoke or drink really it my car.

Know what you all mean though its always the us who dont break the law who foot the bill for the rest of them

In the same way it is unfair that (as you clearly state above) some people drive around in

In the same way it is unfair that (as you clearly state above) some people drive around in

In some countries, the reg plate has a section at the end that is unique to your car. If you dont have insurance or MOT you cant renew this section. That makes it very easy to spot tax/insurance evaders.

Obviously there would ba a black market for these but it would help a lot.

IMHO they should replace some speed cameras with tax disc cameras.

Minimum fine should be £2000, not £200 for no insurance. Your car should be sold and the cash put in a big pot used to help insured drivers who are hit by uninsured scum.

Repeat offenders should be sent to prison.

In some countries' date=' the reg plate has a section at the end that is unique to your car. If you dont have insurance or MOT you cant renew this section. That makes it very easy to spot tax/insurance evaders.

Obviously there would ba a black market for these but it would help a lot.

IMHO they should replace some speed cameras with tax disc cameras.[/quote']

How about an 'insurance disc' if it isn't displayed in the window and the car on the public then its instantlyconfiscated until you can prove its insured....

Why is insurance cheaper in Spain where they all drive like nutters and they have thousands of uninsured drivers?

Well I only pay about £400 for my Fubry vRS' date=' I'm 25 with 6 years no claims. However surely one of two things need to happen:

1, Insuance premiums are reduced to encourage more people to insure their cars.

2, We crack down on those insurance evading muppets. But this is a huge waste of police time and incredibly costly.

So were left with option 3, screw those that adhere to the law. Typical. [/quote']

On the contrary , option 2 is increasingly easy for the police now there is a database of insurance and plenty of ANPR vans.

The problem is not with the police catching them , but the courts imposing fines far less than 1 years insurance would have been.

Insurance disks won't make that much of a difference

How about this for a completely random "out of the blue" suggestion.

Basic third party cover is provided by adding an amount (say 20p a litre) onto the cost of fuel. That way everyone has basic cover that's paid for on a "pay as you go" basis. The more you drive or the bigger and more powerful (and thirsty) your vehicle the more you pay into this insurance fund. If you don't ever drive the car then you don't need to pay a penny.

You then don't *need* to pay for any extra insurance for your vehicle to be legal , but fire/theft and fully comp cover could be taken out to protect you better.

Hey presto , everyone hit by a car has someone they can claim against - the central fund , and nobody can avoid paying for insurance so the total cost for everyone decreases.

How about this for a completely random "out of the blue" suggestion.

Basic third party cover is provided by adding an amount (say 20p a litre) onto the cost of fuel. That way everyone has basic cover that's paid for on a "pay as you go" basis. The more you drive or the bigger and more powerful (and thirsty) your vehicle the more you pay into this insurance fund. If you don't ever drive the car then you don't need to pay a penny.

You then don't *need* to pay for any extra insurance for your vehicle to be legal ' date=' but fire/theft and fully comp cover could be taken out to protect you better.

Hey presto , everyone hit by a car has someone they can claim against - the central fund , and nobody can avoid paying for insurance so the total cost for everyone decreases.[/quote']

In theory it'd work but it'd be down the the government run it which means it'll cost ninety thousand billion pounds for them to set it up then it'll just fall apart and won't work.

This sytem would be abused by people. The sort of scummers that remove their rear lights to claim compensation would blled such a system dry.

Also what about the possibility of people forming a co-operative whereby you all pay into a fund and then self insure. Ok so you would need a lot of people, but you get the idea.