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Young Drivers

Young drivers attract a negative press when it comes to car driving, but they can do a lot to help themselves.

The key thing to remember is that passing your test and getting onto the road for the first time is just a small fraction of what being a safe and careful driver is all about.

So, as an inexperienced driver, it’s best to discipline yourself for at least a couple of years to keep out of trouble.

This is where the concept of defensive driving comes into play, which will help you avoid accidents and create that ultimate goal in insurance terms, a maximum no-claims bonus. This leads to less expensive insurance premiums.

Consider this fact, if you keep your nose clean and drive a similar type of car, the insurance premium you pay at 17 could drop by nearly 80% by the time you come of age at 21. Even in year one, it can be felled by up to a quarter.

So, there is one huge economic incentive for not trying to emulate Lewis Hamilton on the first bend at Monaco.

Keep out of trouble; think what the other driver is going to do and act accordingly. Be an intelligent driver. No racing at traffic lights, no handbrake turns and no impressing the passengers with “… look, no hands…”

And a few more definites, which have to be said, but if ignored, will make driving very difficult in the future. No drink driving, period. This is one of the biggest no no’s. Get breathalysed and if found positive - and despite all the problems of the social stigma and maybe it threatening your career prospects - it will literally cost you a fortune in increased insurance premiums. And don’t drive without insurance, or tax, or an MOT.

Oh, and yes, don’t speed. Speeding is not only dangerous, but the odds are stacked against you these days. Speed cameras are so effective, that you’re on a hiding to nothing. Each speeding offence can give you a three-point penalty on your licence. Get 12 points and its game over for a year. It’s theoretically possible to go down certain roads in the U.K. and by speeding through all the cameras, get enough points to get banned. A sobering thought and what’s equally sobering, is that there are over a million drivers sitting on nine points; only one more speeding ticket away from oblivion.

Bear in mind that the police don’t have to guess anymore if the car is likely to have an MOT, or tax. They can sit in their nice warm patrol cars and type in the registration number, and up comes the details.

Okay, so here endeth the lesson. Let’s assume you’re going to drive like a celestial being and stay on the right side of the law, and start creating your no-claims bonus years. What else can you do to help the potentially crippling insurance premiums.

One positive thing to do is to take a Pass Plus Test, which can reduce premiums by close to 30%. It’s taken within your first year of passing your main test and is made up of six key areas of driving experiences, including driving at night and on the motorway. There’s no test as such; an instructor judges when they believe you have grasped enough to improve your driving.

Young drivers and cars are a heady mixture, but you can alleviate the financial burden.

Look today to find the best deals on car insurance online.

Click here to find out the best deals on car insurance provided by The Post Office™.