Speeding won't affect premiums

Up to 4.5 million people with points on their licence could benefit from a change in attitude from car insurance providers.

Norwich Union, the UK’s largest general insurer, has announced that it will not be charging higher premiums to motorists with points for minor speeding offences and Esure said it would follow.

Last week, Swinton insurance announced that it would not penalise drivers with points on their licence because, with a growing number of people getting caught on increasing numbers of speed cameras, a minor motoring conviction is no longer an indicator of an irresponsible driver.

Research quoted in the Daily Mail backs this claim. Direct Line insurance discovered that 92 per cent of motorists with driving convictions in the past year were caught motoring and nearly half of them were driving at less than 10 mph above the limit.

Given the proliferation of speed cameras, Norwich Union has also said it will be lenient with the four million motorists it already insures. Speeding offences will not affect premiums as long as they haven’t happened in the last 12 months.

Another insurer, drive24-7, has decided to insure drivers with high numbers of points, with its policy covering loss of licence and providing affected drivers with transport.