High car-cover costs hinder job chances - MP

HIGH insurance premiums for young drivers are pricing them off the roads and making it more difficult to find work, says Oldham East and Saddleworth MP Debbie Abrahams.

The MP said the cost of insurance was placing an added burden on families already hit by the spiralling costs of fuel and living.

She said premium increases far outstripped inflation, with those earning least likely to be paying the most.

Mrs Abrahams said: “High premiums restrict young people from gaining driving experience and even finding work. I have written to the Secretary of State but the best the Government seems capable of coming up with is the suggestion that my constituents shop around. This really isn’t good enough and I will continue to press on this matter.”

A survey by the AA showed premiums have doubled since 2006 to an average of £921. It is thought fraudsters and gangs staging fake accidents add around £80 to the premium of innocent drivers.