Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Spen Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will hold discussions with car insurance providers on the cost of insurance for young drivers.
Answered by Guy Opperman
Department for Transport officials regularly liaise with representatives of the motor insurance industry on a variety of issues such as the cost of insurance. However, it is the responsibility of individual motor insurers to set premiums and the terms and conditions of their policies, and the Government does not intervene or seek to control the market.
The Government is determined that insurers should treat customers fairly and firms are required to do so under the Financial Conduct Authority rules.
There is evidence to suggest that younger drivers and those with less experience carry a higher risk. Some insurers have introduced the use of telematics or in-car black boxes to allow better risk-based pricing of insurance, especially for new drivers. It means insurers now have a real time data feed, which allows them to see an individual’s driving behaviour; this had not been possible in the past. This can help reduce insurance premiums if drivers show good driving behaviour with a black box installed in their cars.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Spen Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the lessons that his Department could learn from (a) Oslo and (b) Helsinki on reducing road deaths to zero.
Answered by Guy Opperman
Whilst we look closely at a wide range of international examples, we have not made a specific assessment of Oslo or Helsinki.
The Department for Transport takes road safety for all road users seriously. Road fatality figures for Great Britain have been among the lowest in the world for many years. In 2022, Great Britain ranked fifth out of 38 countries with available data for lowest number of road fatalities per million population.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Spen Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the annual (a) budget for reducing serious injury and death of the roads and (b) cost to the exchequer per casualty is.
Answered by Guy Opperman
There is no hypothecated budget for reducing serious injury and death, and spending to do so comes from a wide range of differing budgets.
We do not calculate the cost to the exchequer of road casualties.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Spen Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to support West Yorkshire's strategy to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2040.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The Department for Transport takes road safety for all road users seriously and is supportive of local initiatives to improve road safety. The Department has not made a specific assessment of the council’s road safety policies because the local council has responsibility for making decisions about local roads, based on its local knowledge and taking into account local needs.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Spen Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 January 2024 to Question 7457 on Motor Vehicles: Insurance, if he will publish the (a) minutes and (b) attendance of meetings his Department has held with representatives of the motor insurance industry in the last 12 months.
Answered by Guy Opperman
Department for Transport officials regularly liaise with representatives of the motor insurance industry on a variety of issues such as the cost of insurance. The meetings tend to be informal so minutes and attendance at them are not kept.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Spen Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to extend graduated driving licences from motorbike users to newly qualified car drivers.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The Department keeps driving licensing requirements under review, but there are not any plans to introduce any further restrictions on newly qualified car drivers.
We have a form of restricting novice drivers though the Road Traffic (New Drivers) Act 1995. On acquiring their first full licence, a new driver is on ‘probation’ for two years. During this time, they are subject to a limit of six penalty points received for any driving offences (including any received when in the learning stage). If six or more points are received, then a driver’s licence is revoked and must apply again for a provisional licence, re-entering the learning stage.
Two years after passing their first driving test, or on passing again after being subject to licence revocation under the Road Traffic (New Drivers) Act 1995, drivers enter the full licence stage. There are no restrictions in this stage beyond basic legal requirements.
For new and novice drivers the Department’s broad aim is to improve road safety through new technology and research; and particularly for young drivers, developing better learning opportunities and targeted educational messaging, while reinforcing vital road safety messages through our THINK! Campaigns.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Spen Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 December 2023 to Question 5413 on Motor Vehicles: Insurance, whether his Department plans to issue guidance to insurance companies on this matter.
Answered by Guy Opperman
It is the responsibility of individual motor insurers to set their premiums and the terms and conditions of their policies, and the Government does not intervene or seek to control the market.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Spen Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 December 2023 to Question 5413 on Motor Vehicles: Insurance, what discussions he (a) has had and (b) plans to have with insurance companies on this matter.
Answered by Guy Opperman
Department for Transport officials regularly liaise with representatives of the motor insurance industry on a variety of issues such as the cost of insurance.
It is the responsibility of individual motor insurers to set their premiums and the terms and conditions of their policies, and the Government does not intervene or seek to control the market.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Spen Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 December 2023 to Question 5413 on Motor Vehicles: Insurance, if he will make an assessment of the impact of increases in the cost of insurance on (a) elderly people and (b) people in other age groups.
Answered by Guy Opperman
It is the responsibility of individual motor insurers to set their premiums and the terms and conditions of their policies, and the Government does not intervene or seek to control the market.
The Government is determined that insurers should treat customers fairly and firms are required to do so under Financial Conduct Authority rules.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Spen Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he is taking steps to help ensure that elderly motorists have access to affordable car insurance policies.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The Government is determined that insurers should treat customers fairly and firms are required to do so under Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules.
Department for Transport officials regularly liaise with representatives of the motor insurance industry and discuss issues as they arise.