Car insurers gear up for higher premiums as more drivers are convicted

As new mobile phone/driving laws are set to take effect, new research into driving convictions by Insurancewide.com, the insurance comparison website, confirms that male drivers are currently far more likely to hold most types of driving convictions than women and are therefore paying much higher insurance premiums.

The findings, based on Insurancewide.com's comprehensive knowledge of UK insurance seekers' profiles, show that currently, as many as 80% of drink- and drug-related driving offenders are male. Women are more likely to commit offences related to traffic direction and sign rules, while careless driving offences are most likely to be committed by male drivers over 50.

But as new mobile phone/driving laws take effect, how might statistics on driving convictions change? Is it more likely to be the male or the female drivers who end up being out of pocket as far as insurance is concerned?

"While we can't predict whether men or women will be the greater culprits of mobile phone/driving offences over time, what we do know is that all types of driving offences have huge implications for motor insurance premiums and these will become more severe with the introduction of new mobile phone laws," said James Harrison, chief executive.

Currently insurance premiums are not affected by mobile phone offences. But after February 27th, average premiums are set to rise by around £150 when three penalty points are issued for using hand-held phones whilst driving, and the offence now becomes a conviction.

"The new laws will bring the impact of convictions on insurance premiums into sharp focus as thousands of careless motorists start to receive penalty points and find themselves paying far more than they're used to for their annual policies."

For convicted drivers seeking sympathetic insurers, there is a glimmer of hope. Most UK insurers won't want to insure drivers with convictions of this scale and nature but this is likely to change as more insurance companies decide to make this potential customer base their 'niche business'.

"There are already companies out there who specialise in insuring drivers with all types of convictions but you have to know how to find them. Our comparison service exists to guide all types of insurance customer towards the most relevant provider. Comprehensive comparison sites in general are a good place to do your research, even if you end up actually buying the policy over the phone after a more detailed conversation with your chosen insurer. "

The survey of over 40,000 motorists compares the recent (last five years) convictions of male and female drivers of all ages.