General Insurance Article - Mike Brockman says night time curfews may kill young drivers

 Mike Brockman, the former CEO and founder of insurethebox which has recently sold its millionth policy says: “Limits on passengers is a good idea but night-time curfews kill. If you put young drivers under time pressure to get off the road by a certain time, the high probability is that they will speed and we know the consequences of speeding. Or they end up stranded, unable to drive to get home.

 These proposals are poorly considered, discriminatory and impractical. Not all young drivers behave the same way, there are major differences in behaviour between male and female drivers yet these changes could be wholesale. 

 “We know that telematics insurance works in supporting young driver safety and can indeed work for all drivers. The UK Government needs to take a closer look at road casualty figures. The road casualty figures show casualties amongst the youngest motorists have fallen by 35% compared to 16% for more experienced drivers since 2011. And that can largely be attributed to telematics insurance.

 “At the root of these proposals is a lack of understanding of what technology can do and has done to protect young drivers. We would welcome the Government to engage with the insurance sector and technology providers to understand what the industry has learnt about young drivers and what motivates them to modify behaviour rather than resort to these draconian and ill-thought out measures.”