Background briefing on car insurance debate

The House of Commons Library has produced a report on next Monday's debate in Westminster Hall on the subject of whether car insurance should be on cars instead of drivers. 

There is a general problem faced by young people in trying to get car insurance.  It is very expensive.  There are many reasons for this but the cost of providing care in the case of accidents is one and young people continue to have proportionately more accidents, and more costly ones for insurers to pay for, than other groups.  The petition proposes that age should no longer be a determining factor and that it should be the car not the driver that is assessed.

This system does exist in other countries, the US and Portugal, but it is complex and variable in application and has features such as voluntary age restrictions which may do much to nullify the purpose behind the petition.