The latest news on car insurance

Texting behind the wheel? Pay more for your insurance!

Insurance premiums have increased in recent years. This is directly related to the number of traffic accidents in the Netherlands. This increase is considerable; the premiums have risen by at least just under ten percent. And when we zoom in more deeply on the accidents, it seems that calling and especially texting behind the wheel is a big culprit.

 

In terms of figures, the increases vary according to the type of car insurance. For example, third-party insurance, which is compulsory for every driver, has experienced the biggest price increase, around 13% on average. On the other hand, the comprehensive insurance increased by only eight percent. A comprehensive insurance covers not only the damage that you potentially cause to others, but also the damage to your own car. In addition, the so-called third-party fire and theft insurance can also be used. The latter has increased by just over 10%.

 

Depending on your situation and potential risks, you will need to make a personal assessment of the type of insurance you need. A practical question in which Autoglas Concurrent can assist you is: in which cases will your glass damage be compensated by the insurer?

 

An app! Shut down your phone or place it in an unreachable place

Appen or calling behind the wheel... Apparently the average driver has not yet realized that it is not wise. A (passenger) car is in fact an assassination weapon when the driver is not authorised and/or not at the lesson.

 

 

The higher premiums for car insurance are related to the number of accidents on the road, partly because of our bad habits such as calling or appendix. As a result of this trend, car insurers are faced with higher costs, which are then passed on to their customers. After all, the party due is the customer and despite the high fines and the well-known ban, there still are regular calls and apps in the car.

 

If it does not come from the right, it must come from the left. We can see, for example, that the Minister of Justice wants to impose heavier penalties on drivers who put others in (serious) danger. The so-called reckless driving behaviour also includes the texting during driving. Our Minister intends to use penalties of up to 6 years' imprisonment for such offences, in which an accident is caused. Something that should stop us from grabbing our smartphone while driving. If you find yourself in the unpleasant situation of being arrested while you are texting on the road, you risk two years in prison. Figures from the Dutch Central Bureau for Statistics (CBS) indicate that 1 in 8 drivers sometimes use their smartphone while driving.

 

Car insurance unaffordable for young people

If you are between 18 and 24 years old, you will pay approximately 400 euros more for a third-party insurance than in 2016. This is an increase of more than 50% in two years! If this trend continues, the forecast is that car insurance will simply become unaffordable for young people over time. If we look at the difference in premium levels for young people and the elderly, we see a widening of the gap between the two age categories. Two years ago the difference for the level of the third party premium was almost 400 euro, now it is more than double.

 

The 50% increase in contributions for young people is a disproportionate increase compared to other age groups. For example, the over-65s saw their third-party insurance increase by less than 30 per cent in the same period. The fact that young people have more expensive car insurance is partly logical, given the logical fact that the risk of damage is now higher for drivers with less experience. Our meagre tip to save on car insurance for drivers of younger ages is to drive without any damage, so that the premium is not pushed up in this way.

 

Ideally, insurers should encourage young people to learn safe driving behaviour and to retain it with a reward. This now happens only per claim-free year of driving with an increase on the bonus ladder with a small discount on your premium. This discount also differs per car insurer. The idea from a political perspective is therefore to increase this discount for young people. Unfortunately, this is only music for the future at the moment.

 

Limburg citizens have bad luck

In addition to the gap in costs for young and old there are also location-specific differences. If we compare car insurance prices on a national scale, we also see differences between provinces. In Maastricht, for example, people turn out to be true hardships and pay more than 25% more for their car insurance than residents of our northernmost capital, Groningen. The reason? The number of car theft cases in Limburg appears to be many times higher than in Groningen, because of the border that is crossed in order to escape with the stolen vehicle.

 

The trick remains to continue to apply common sense and to look at the different suppliers of car insurance. Do not rely blindly on the offers you receive. By doing some (online) research you can save up to hundreds of euros.