MORE TH>N launches young driver policy

Leading car insurer MORE TH>N is launching a new young driver policy - DriveTime – on Sunday 6 August 2006, to reduce accidents and change the way young drivers use Britain’s roads.

Promising savings of 40 per cent off standard MORE TH> N car insurance rates, DriveTime will use telematic technology to track what time of the day or night the vehicle is being driven. It has been designed specifically for drivers aged between 18 and 25.

Drivers will pay a reduced standard insurance fee; to encourage them to leave their cars at home during the most dangerous hours on the road (between 11.00pm and 06.00am) an additional fee of £25 is applied if the car is driven during these hours.

Department for Transport statistics show that accident rates involving young drivers peak at night. Young male drivers in particular are much more likely than other groups to have an accident at night, especially at weekends. MORE TH>N’s own research shows that almost one million young drivers (912,000) have been involved in or know someone who has been involved in an accident at night in the last three years. By offering a policy that encourages young drivers to leave their vehicle at home between 11.00pm and 06.00am, MORE TH>N estimates accident rates among 18 – 25 year olds could be reduced by up to 25 per cent.

Drivers who sign up for MORE TH>N's DriveTime product receive a GPS device (DriveTime unit) that will be delivered and installed in their vehicle free of charge. Once installed, whenever the car starts, a message is sent to MORE TH> N advising the time and place that the journey commenced. A further message is sent when the engine is switched off to confirm that the journey has ended.

Explaining the reason for developing this product Bryan Turner, Head of DriveTime at MORE TH>N, said: "Young drivers have often found it difficult to get affordable insurance cover as many companies categorise them all as being high risk. We recognised that not all young drivers are the same and wanted to come up with a way to reward safer young motorists with cheaper premiums."

Mary Williams OBE, chief executive of Brake, the national road safety charity, said: “We need to find more innovative ways of preventing tragic deaths involving young drivers and their passengers on our roads. We welcome the DriveTime scheme as an excellent first step towards reducing the exposure of young drivers to driving at particularly risky times of day. Brake is also urging the UK government to introduce ‘graduated licensing’, with a post-test period of restrictions on driving, to build up the ability and experience of young drivers gradually.”

Bryan Turner concluded: "We know that young drivers are particularly at risk late at night and in the early hours of the morning, so we have created this product for those young motorists who are happy to leave their car at home during these times. It's simple to use and the charges are easy to understand. If you only drive your car during the day you only have one premium to pay, either annually or by monthly installments, which should help with budgeting your driving costs."

MORE TH>N’s DriveTime scheme is running as a pilot, initially involving 2,000 vehicles. Anyone interested in taking part in the DriveTime pilot should call MORE TH> N on 0800 294 8911, email drivetime@morethan.com or visit morethan.com/drivetime.