It may be something that most people end up doing almost instinctively for the rest of their lives, but even the most accomplished of drivers have to start somewhere. For most young drivers, however, it might appear that the whole of the insurance industry is against them and seemingly determined to not allow them any time behind the wheel – so expensive are the necessary insurance premiums, even when an insurer is prepared to entertain granting insurance at all.

Why life is made so difficult

Some insurers typically give young drivers such a hard time because of their assessment of the risks involved in insuring them.

Insurers take the view, for example, that a younger driver’s inexperience is going to make him or her more likely to be involved in an accident and, as a result, need to claim on the motor insurance policy.

Unfortunately, recent reports suggest that the combination of inexperience and youth might also contribute to episodes of distraction from the attention necessary for driving – and that distraction of course may cause accidents.

Research carried out by Oregon States University, in the United States – according to a story published in the Daily Mail newspaper – has discovered that a driver who is distracted for just two seconds is 24 times more likely to have an accident – a sobering thought indeed.

Giving young drivers a chance

Interesting and important as such research may be, however, is it really so fair to heap all of the blame on younger drivers? The sort of distractions likely to contribute to accident, for example, might those lapses committed by practically any, and even the most experienced driver.

Momentary lapses are not the preserve of the young and inexperienced, therefore, any more than safe and thoroughly attentive driving is the preserve of more mature drivers.

And this is the attitude adopted by some specialist insurance providers – such as here at GSI Insurance, where we take the view that every driver needs to start somewhere and that younger drivers deserve to be given their fair chance and to be able to do so without facing a cripplingly expensive bill for the premiums they need to pay.

Our Young Drivers’ Insurance Guide goes in to this subject in a bit more depth, plus has ways that you may be able to lower your premiums through telematics etc.

With your help

We may play our part in giving you a chance, therefore, but that is not to say that there is nothing you might do to help yourself.

First and foremost, of course, the onus is then on you to demonstrate that the trust is well placed by doing everything you can to drive safely, avoid accidents and give no reason for making a claim on your insurance.

If you are worried about whether you are going to be able to afford the premiums on one type of insurance, you might want to consider substituting comprehensive cover with third party, fire and theft – although opting for this lower level of cover may sometimes prove a false economy.