Let’s think about … car insurance

The truth is out – and should we be surprised? A lot of drivers just don’t pay attention when they’re behind the wheel. Instead of thinking about road conditions or safe driving, one in five drivers (that’s 1.2 million people) have their minds fixed firmly below the belt.

And it gets worse. Twenty per cent of drivers do not concentrate when they’re motoring. As well as sex there are 3.2 million drivers who think about work and 2 million who think about their families. And a whole lot of drivers are completely flouting the law, with 23 per cent still using hand held mobile phones.

So it’s no wonder there are so many problems with road safety. Drivers in the More Th>n survey listed their top annoyances as tailgating (28 per cent), lane hogging (20 per cent), being cut up on the road (14 per cent), slow driving (11 per cent) and driving too fast (11 per cent).

It’s that last one that’s going to get drivers in trouble – and we’re not just talking about speed cameras. Norwich Union has been rolling out its Pay As You Drive insurance, which it’s been testing for the past couple of years. Pundits believe this is just the start of insurance schemes that will keep an eye on driving behaviour. Norwich Union’s scheme will charge motorists for every mile they drive, with some premiums starting at a penny a mile.

Younger drivers may not find this as favourable, though. To get the best from their policy, they’ll have to pay a pound a mile if they want to drive between 11pm and 6am. And off peak they’ll pay 5 pence a mile. The insurers say the new scheme offers drivers control, flexibility and choice. But it seems some drivers don’t want that – other research shows that many drivers are distinctly underwhelmed by the prospect of being tracked wherever they go.