Fifteen per cent of British motorists admit they have driven a car without car insurance, according to new research.1

The survey by price comparison site moneysupermarket.com found nine per cent of drivers had flouted the law in someone else’s car and six per cent had driven their own car without cover.

Men are more than twice as likely as women to drive while uninsured, with 21 per cent admitting doing so. The survey also reveals younger drivers are the worst offenders, with 23 per cent of those in their twenties and 20 per cent of thirty-somethings saying they have driven without cover, compared to just ten per cent of drivers in their fifties.

Richard Mason, director of insurance at moneysupermarket.com, said: “Anyone who drives without insurance, no matter how short the distance and whether it’s their car or someone else’s, is breaking the law. Not only that, but it costs the insurance industry over £500 million each year in claims, which drives up the cost of insurance for responsible motorists.2

“While the cost of insuring a car can be high for young males, they shouldn’t be attracted by the false economy of skimping on insurance.”

If caught without cover, uninsured drivers can get a £200 on-the-spot fine, six points on their licence and their car impounded. Uninsured drivers are 10 times more likely to have a drink driving conviction and six times more likely to be driving an unsafe vehicle and 160 deaths on UK roads each year involve uninsured driving.3

1 – Research conducted by Opinium Research in an online survey of 2,001 UK adults between 12 and 15 February 2008. All information weighted to nationally representative criteria.
2 – Source: Motor Insurers Bureau
3 – Source: Motor Insurers Bureau

Men are behind the wheel on car insurance says new research.

Women are more likely to check the descriptions and details on the products and services they purchase than men, apart from when it comes to telecoms and cars

* Women are almost twice as likely to check the details on food and drink labels than men
* 1 million Brits say they have had their insurance claims turned down in the last 12 months
* 61% of those that haven’t been able to claim on their car insurance in the last year claim they thoroughly read the descriptions and details of the policy

When it comes to understanding what they are purchasing it appears that women are much better buyers than men. Research published today by Tescocompare.com, reveals that women are much more likely to have read the descriptions and details of what they buy than men, apart from when it comes to those traditionally male items – cars and technology.

For example when it comes to ingredients on food and drinks labels – women (37%) are almost twice as likely to thoroughly read the descriptions and details than men are (23%). Women are also more likely to check any credit agreements they get, and pore over the bank statements.

But when it comes to cars and technology purchases, men - perhaps unsurprisingly - pay more attention. They are more likely to read the small print on car insurance than women (56% of men claim to do this compared to 50% of women). Also men are more likely to examine the fine print in a mobile phone, broadband or cable agreement.

However, it doesn’t matter how much the general public checks the small print – a significant minority still seem to get caught out by the products and services they buy each year.

The research reveals that 1 million Brits have not been able to claim on a travel, home or car insurance policy in the last year because they weren’t covered, despite believing that they were. This mistake in purchasing has typically cost £736.

Of these, a vast majority (82%) say it has altered the way they will go about dealing with this sort of purchase in the future.

What is perhaps most surprising is that those that have had a claim turned down were more thorough when they read the small print on their insurance policy than the average Brit. 61% of those that haven’t been able to claim on their car insurance in the last year claim they thoroughly read the descriptions and details of the policy compared to 53% of Brits overall. This suggests that regardless of how carefully people check the insurance they are buying is right for them, many still don’t understand what it is they are buying.

Commenting on the research, Paul Baxter of Tescocompare.com said: “Insurance polices can be complicated, and it is not surprising that so many people find themselves in a situation where they thought they were covered when in fact they weren’t. The predication – fuelled by many comparison sites – to simply purchase car insurance on price alone perhaps contributes to this lack of understanding. Tescocompare.com is one of the first comparison sites to compare car insurance policies not just on price but also by what is covered, thereby giving consumers extra information to help prevent them making a purchase they may end up regretting.”