Car Insurance: Cover and the Older Driver

A 70 year old driver was born into a world in which the horse drawn plough was still a familiar sight. It’s a different world today and a new study from the Institute of Advanced Motoring indicates that our senior citizens are ill-equipped to cope with increasingly snarled up highways and byways.

Last year there were 7,035 fatal or near fatal road accidents in Britain. 8% of this total involved a driver in the 70+ age group. This figure is disproportionately high and insurers are weighting their premiums accordingly. In fact, it has been calculated that drivers in this upper bracket are 13% more likely than middle aged drivers to make a claim. Unlucky for some.

Demographic changes foresee a doubling of the numbers of elderly drivers within 10 years. This sea-change signals choppy waters ahead for the whole insurance sector. In the way that the captain of a sinking ship will try to right things by chucking ballast overboard, one or two car insurance providers are already beginning to refuse to offer policies to the over 70s. At 80 premiums rocket across the board and things are worse for women. Elderly women drivers pay more for their motor insurance than any other group.

Anyone that keeps an old dog knows that the animal’s senses decline with age. They get a bit blurry eyed and deaf. They show less interest in chasing sticks and would rather curl up in a warm corner. People are the same. However, if the older driver consciously makes allowances for his limitations he can reduce the chances of becoming involved in a messy accident.

Simple measures such as maintaining good distance (to compensate for diminished reaction times), choosing a less busy route (to allow more decision time) or simply taking extra breaks en route can make all the difference.

28.3.2008



about the author:
Mark Lauterwein

Mark Lauterwein is a UK based writer. He is currently writing articles on a variety of subjects.

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