Finally some good news on motor insurance. Nissan is offering a year's free cover on a new Micra, while Hibernian has expanded its Ignition programme to include provisional licence holders, with discounts of about 23 per cent.
Nissan's offer applies to full- and provisional-licence drivers. Underwritten by FBD insurance, the rather broad restrictions are that full licence holders are between 19 and 70 years, with fewer than six penalty points and with no claim against them over €15,000 in the past two years. Provisional drivers must have five years claims free motoring and fewer than six points.
Dick O'Driscoll, managing director of Hibernian, says its expansion of the Ignition programme is to address the high insurance cost for provisional licence holders caught up in the driving-test backlog. Latest figures show that one in six motorists here hold provisional licences.
"We estimate that, of the 380,000 provisional drivers on the road, one third can be waiting over a year for a driving test. By expanding Ignition we are giving them the chance to show safe driving skills in return benefit for reduced premiums."
A sample quote shows a 23-year- old male motorist from Cork with a one-year no-claims bonus driving a 1.3-litre car worth €7,000 would be quoted €1,472 for comprehensive cover upon successfully completing the course, compared to €1,913 without the Ignition course.
Under the new scheme, provisional drivers will undergo a modified form of the full-day Ignition course. Provided they successfully complete a one-hour driving assessment with the Institute of Advance Motoring (IAM), the standard loading for a provisional licence is removed for two years to give time to pass the driving test. Once they have full licences, they are eligible for the full course where discounts of up to 50 per cent are on offer.
Under the new provisional programme, drivers must have proof of applying for a test and have a car with an engine no greater than 1,400cc. However, the assessments themselves are carried out in a dual-control car at one of the Ignition course centres.
The assessment costs €70, payable to the IAM. The decision to charge this time - the full Ignition course requires a payment of €225 but this is returned upon attendance to prevent absenteeism - was made on the back of a full driving lesson costing between €30 to €40 an hour.
O'Driscoll is very happy with results of the Ignition scheme so far: "It's still too early to give exact details on the course, but all indications are that there's a 10 to 15 per cent difference between the number of claims from those who complete the course and those that do not.
"We currently have a ludicrous system whereby someone can fail the driving test and still get back in a car. We can't change the system, but we can change the costs involved in covering these drivers."
Hibernian reckons it can target at least half of those now on provisional licences, attracted by the substantial discount. The next step, says O'Driscoll, is to introduce programmes to reinforce training and reward motorists who take part in longer term training. "While it would be a good idea if this sort of thing was statutory, we must concentrate on things we can control and try to influence customers to improve defensive driving skills."
The move brings Hibernian into direct competition with Quinn Direct, the biggest player in the young driver and provisional licence market.