AN academy to run intensive training courses for young drivers has been promised by Fianna Fail as part of its plan to tackle the cost of car insurance.
The party's spokesman on transport, Mr Seamus Brennan, told a press conference in Dublin the State would fund the academy from the levy charged on non-life insurance premiums, which was introduced in 1982 and raised £28 million last year. He said training would be followed by a special test, with a significant discount on insurance for those who were successful.
"Fianna Fail will work with the insurance industry to develop a situation where successful graduates will receive the adult rate of insurance and get no-claims bonuses quickly after completing the course," said Mr Brennan.
The party's spokesman on insurance, Mr Ned O'Keeffe, said the plan would improve the risk profile of young drivers and represent a constructive approach to reducing motoring costs. "It is an approach which also offers the real prospect of a material reduction in the number of deaths and serious injuries on our roads."
Figures released by Fianna Fail yesterday show that a young male driver between 17 and 21 years, living in Dublin and with a full licence, pays £1,645 for third party insurance on a Ford Fiesta. A female with the same profile pays £1,201. A 24-year-old man in the capital pays £1,234 and a woman £943.
Outside Dublin, a 21-year-old man with a full licence pays £1,296, while a woman pays £967. A 24-year-old man pays £972, while a woman pays £752. The party said it had heard of cases where young people paid more for insurance than for a car.
