Insurance companies are ‘ripping off’ young drivers

Motor insurance companies charging young drivers exorbitant premiums have been compared to ‘thieves’.

County councillor Seósamh Ó Cualáin (Ind) said 19 and 20-year-olds in Galway are being quoted between €4,500 and €5,000 for annual motorist insurance.

The companies quoting such high rates are, “no better than common thieves”, he said.

The Connemara Area councillor said: “Anyone driving without insurance should be dealt with severely”, but, in relation to insurance costs, he added: “Who are the criminals in this?”

Superintendent Seán Glynn’s Garda report to the Joint Policing Committee (JPC) noted that there had been a 32% reduction in instances of driving without insurance in the first three months of 2018. It was down from 93 incidents to 63, compared with the first quarter of last year.

Supt Glynn said that people were still “willing to chance” driving without insurance, which was very dangerous.

He said that worryingly people were also “chancing” drink driving – there were 52 incidents of drink driving in the first quarter of this year, up by 4%.

There were two fatal accidents in Galway in the first quarter of 2018, which was the same as 2017; and serious injury from accidents was down 17% to 10 incidents.

Councillor Ó Cualáin commended Gardaí for its road safety record over recent years. In 2015, there were 17 fatal accidents in Galway; it was reduced to eight in 2016; and that had fallen to four last year.

He said one fatal accident was one too many but the figures were heading in the right direction.