With the BBC’s ‘5 Live Investigates’ programme revealing that insurance companies are set to hike premiums for motorists who have completed speed awareness courses, GEM speaks out against the companies that it believes are about to make a big mistake.
Road safety organisation and breakdown cover company GEM Motoring Assist has formally approached the Road Safety Minister to voice concerns about the future of road safety if these premium increases are replicated by insurance companies across the board.
David Williams MBE, CEO of GEM Motoring Assist, comments: “Speed awareness courses are a great tool for encouraging drivers to address their mistakes and ensure they are not repeated. It is a really good opportunity for them to willingly gain positive road safety advice and also avoid some of the costly consequences that may have been caused by a fleeting misjudgement.
“However, posing higher insurance premiums on such motorists would achieve the very opposite of encouraging future compliance and an increased regard for road safety. Instead, drivers could be more inclined to take a penalty to avoid a speed awareness course. The only party to benefit from this would be the insurance company, financially, and this is not good enough, particularly as road safety is being negatively affected,” David continues.
The BBC programme reported at the weekend that Admiral Insurance is looking at introducing the increases as, according to its research, drivers who have attended a speed awareness course pose a higher risk.
David concludes: “We were extremely disappointed to hear the news about potential increases, but we hope that, if faced with enough opposition, insurance companies will not be able to apply this new policy. Road safety throughout the UK is of the upmost importance and with the Government cuts and less of a focus on road safety overall, this will only add to the problems we are facing in trying to keep people safe on the roads”.
The following article was published in this year’s dedicated motoring magazine for GEM members, Good Motoring –
Speed awareness Good Motoring 2012.pdf
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