Why are insurance companies increasing premiums for people who have attended speed awareness courses?

A leading insurance company has now decided to count attendance as a speeding conviction for motor policy purposes, typically raising premiums by about 8 per cent over a period of five years. I have found that one way to restore the balance is to argue firmly with your insurance company telephone contact who may then use his "personal discretion" to review your policy and reduce your premiums by more that the extra added for pseudo speeding convictions, at least for the current year. For future years you have the option of renegotiation or changing insurers.

Asked on 12 January 2013 by GD, via email

Answered by Honest John

I'm equally outraged by this. Obviously no one is going to take a speed awareness course and become a better driver as a result if there is no incentive to do so, so my advice to any reader whose insurer penalises them for attending a speed awareness course is that when the time comes to renew their insurance, check what their existing company is going to charge, then shop around for a better quote, mentioning the speed awareness course if asked. Obviously you'd be cutting off your nose to spite your face if you switched to another insurer who did not penalise for a speed awareness course, but still charged more.

Tags: insurance speed awareness course

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