There’s no avoiding car insurance. It might be a legal requirement and an expense you could live without, but in the event of an accident claim being made against you, you’ll be happy you have it. However, younger drivers have a tough time even finding car insurance, never mind affording it. If that sounds familiar, don’t be tempted to break the law to save a bit of cash. In the event of an accident claim you will almost certainly regret it.

Not even half of the mainstream insurance companies in the UK will offer insurance to teenage drivers. Buying a policy with one of the few that will could cost £4,000 which is often more than the value of the vehicle. Because the average male teen driver accident claim is worth much more than the sort of claims their female counterparts might make, the boys pay the most for insurance.

Rightly, insurers expect that teenage drivers are more likely to have an accident claim made against them. Drivers in this age group are ten times more likely to injure or kill someone on the roads than their more experienced counterparts. Still, many parents are acting illegally in their attempts to bring down the cost of insurance.

The Motor Insurers’ Bureau estimates that around a fifth of teenage drivers have no cover at all. Many more do what is known as ‘fronting.’ This is when parents claim to be the main driver of a car and name their child as another driver when in fact the child is the main driver. This might seem like a money saving option but it is not a good idea. It is against the law.

If an accident claim is made and the insurance company realises that the teenager has been the main driver all along, there are serious consequences. There may be prosecution and they might find they have problems getting insured again in the future. Not only this, but insurance companies can also refuse to pay part or all of the accident claim compensation.

Attitude surveys seem to show that many people use ‘fronting’ and that people believe it is harmless. However it certainly isn’t worth risking prosecution, or the cost of a whole accident claim settlement if the insurance company refuses to, no matter how much money you could save.

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