High costs of driving causes downward trend in young drivers getting their own wheels. 26/05/2006 - DirectLine Car Insurance It’s not just the housing market that young people are being priced out of - the car-ladder is also proving to be a struggle for Britain’s younger generation, according to Direct Line. The spiralling cost of motoring is one of the main reasons four in 10 (43 per cent) non-driving 18-25 year olds are without a licence and a quarter of drivers who have passed their test do not have their own set of wheels – with the majority of these blaming the high costs. With the cost of buying and running a car nearing £5,700* in its first year, joining the car-ladder is out of reach for many wannabe motorists, with university costs (21 per cent of those who can drive but do not own a car), debt (12 per cent) and low wages (42 per cent) as the top three unavoidable expenses preventing them from getting a car of their own.

One third of all accidents
Scraping the side of the car when parking in the garage. 13 June 2005 A report released today revealed that a third (32 per cent) of all car accidents happen within a mile of the driver’s home and a further third within five miles. Other findings from the report:. uk international car insurance Read more...

More dangerous
uk international car insurance Darren McCauley, Head of Car Insurance at Churchill, said “The top three locations for accidents are all high-paced, distracting environments. 3.Supermarket – car parks are rife with activity – a mixture of kids, families and roaming trolleys. 2.Shopping centre multi-storeys - can be poorly lit with tight spaces. Petrol stations are tight on space, especially when lining up to the pumps and multi-storey car parks often have narrow bays and tight corners. Read more...

One In Seven Cars Vandalised
Most common damage is the car being keyed (53 per cent) followed by smashed windows (33 per cent) and bent antennas (26 per cent). Motorists also cited concerns about multi-storey car parks (57 per cent) and train stations (55 per cent) feeling they would be high-risk places to park. - Felt it was my fault for parking somewhere unsafe (one per cent). uk international car insurance Read more...

Notes: The research was carried out on behalf of Direct Line car insurance by YouGov Plc. A sample of 1,048 drivers between 18-25 were questioned online between 28th April to 2nd May 2006.  A sample of 289 non-driving 18-25 year olds were questioned online between 5th and 8th May. Results are unweighted.  YouGov is a member of the British Polling Council. *According to the YouGov findings young drivers on average spend £4,212.76 on buying their first car and spend £129.72 per month on its running costs £129.72 x 12 = £1,556.64 + £4,212.76 = £5,769.4. **According to the YouGov findings one per cent of young drivers have bought a car with friends which equates to 21,350. There are currently 4,994,229 young people between 18-25 in the UK and of these 57 per cent drive (2,846,710).  75 per cent of young drivers own a car (2,135,032) therefore 0.01 x 2,135,032 = 21,350. DirectLine Insurance -