The proposition put up by Edmund King regarding a subsidy for young drivers is not new and I am pleased to see that it received a frosty reception from the market.
Who does Mr King think would be paying this subsidy?
It would be the very drivers who are at risk from these young drivers. Already young drivers, notably men, produce a disproportionately high number of fatal and serious accidents and they deserve the high premiums levied by insurers.
As things stand, many young drivers are subsidised by misguided and misinformed parents who "front" the young driver's car insurance. In my book, this is just another form of fraud, yet it is practised by a very large number of otherwise honest and decent parents.
If a motorist cannot afford the premium, he should stay off the road and the police should have more powers to check whether there is insurance in force or not.
If Mr King wishes to do young drivers a favour, he should be lobbying the government to make the driving test more demanding to ensure that new young drivers are better equipped to take to the road.
Roy Rodger
Motor Investigation Agency
Liverpool
