July 30th, 2010 Administrator
A learner driver has been quoted a staggering £17,000 to insure his £2,000 Vauxhall Corsa.
Student James Hayes, who turns 17 next week, saved for months to buy his modest one-litre car but has been astonished at the sky-high quotes for insurance.
He will have to work flat out over the summer to pay the premiums.
His case highlights how insurers are increasingly using prohibitive premiums as a weapon against young male drivers.
The failure of insurers to offer reasonably priced insurance is being blamed on an explosion in uninsured drivers, which drives up the cost of cover for others and leads middle-class parents to commit a crime by putting themselves as the main driver on their children’s cars.
This reluctance to insure young men is based on accident statistics.
Men aged 17 to 20 are almost ten times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on the roads than older drivers, while one in five new drivers has a crash within six months of passing their test, according to road safety charity Brake.
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) says the average claim of a younger driver is also three times more than older drivers.
But their refusal to cover male teenagers for affordable premiums has led to almost a quarter driving uninsured, according to Brake.
And this ends up costing all motorists as they foot the £500million annual bill for accidents caused by uninsured drivers. Fines for driving without insurance can be as small as £200 plus six points on the licence.
James Daley, editor of Which? Money, says: ‘Uninsured driving is just a knock-on effect of insurers charging high premiums. If insurers really want to combat this then they need to come up with innovative solutions to help young drivers reduce their costs.
‘It’s in everybody’s interests to encourage young people to be better drivers and those who are responsible and maybe need to drive for their job should not be made to feel as if they’re being discriminated against.’
Car insurance premiums have rocketed 11 per cent in the past three months, according to the AA. The average premium for drivers who shop around is £704, but most young drivers can expect to pay at least £1,500 more than this.
Mr Hayes says: ‘I used six comparison websites and the cheapest comprehensive quote I found as a learner driver was £2,257 with ibuyeco. This rises to £3,555 with Admiral when I pass my test. It’s ridiculous when my car is only worth £2,000.’
The most expensive comprehensive quote he received was from The Green Insurance Company at £17,000 per year.
Mr Hayes, who is studying for his A-levels, earns £5.60 per hour working at a supermarket during the holidays and weekends. As well as his insurance, road tax and MoT, he will also have to pay for driving lessons at £13 per hour.
Many youngsters get their parents to insure their car and go on the policy as a named driver – an illegal process known as ‘fronting’.
Mr Daley says: ‘This really is a middle-class crime. Families think: “Well, everybody else is doing it so why shouldn’t we?” ‘
Mr Hayes, who hopes to work in the film industry after he finishes his studies, does not want third party-only insurance and does not want to invalidate his insurance by fronting.
Direct line told him that it keeps all quotes generated by customers – so if someone initially got a quote for themselves, decided it was too expensive and got a new quote with their parent as the main driver instead, the insurer would not pay out on this policy because it has obviously been fronted.
A spokeswoman for Direct line says: ‘Fronting is fraud and the consequences could be grave – ranging from an additional premium being required, to the cancelling of a policy (and therefore non-payment of the claim) as well as the policyholder being added to the financial industry’s fraud database.’
Malcolm Tarling of the ABI says: ‘It is not uncommon for premiums for young drivers to exceed the value of their car.
‘The main risk is not loss or damage to the car itself, but the potential cost of personal injury awards made against the driver if they cause an accident. This can easily run into tens or hundreds of thousands of pounds.’
The best way for young drivers to minimise the cost of insurance is to shop around using comparison sites, such as Moneysupermarket.com, GoCompare.com, ComparetheMarket.com, Compare.dailymail.co.uk and Tiger.co.uk.
You could also find a local specialist broker on the British Insurance Brokers’ Association website www. biba.org.uk or by calling 0870 950 1790. For the cheapest cars to insure, visit www.thisismoney.co.uk/cheap
Will Thomas of Confused.com says: ‘When you’ve passed your test, take the Pass Plus course. Only 6 per cent of 17 to 25-year-old males do, but it saves them £1,037 on average before they reach 25.
‘Start with a small-engine runaround in order to build driving experience.’
From : Dailymail.co.uk
Txt-Drive driving school in Bedford has FULLY QUALIFIED driving instructors that can deliver the PASS PLUS course to you. The PASS PLUS course costs just £150.00 for 6 hours of driving lessons. The PASS PLUS course is designed for new drivers that have recently passed their driving test as it helps to develop their existing skills & it also provides more experience for the new driver. The PASS PLUS course covers motorway driving, night driving, all weather driving & much more. To book driving lessons in Bedford with Bedford driving school Txt-Drive, please call : 0800 8600 983 (FREEPHONE). To book yourself on the PASS PLUS course after your driving test call a Txt-Drive driving instructor in Bedford on the above FREEPHONE number or visit www.txt-drive.co.uk.
Posted in Bedford, Driving, Driving Instructors, Driving Tests, Pass Plus, Road Safety, Txt-Drive, car insurance | No Comments »
July 29th, 2010 Administrator
Learner drivers could fail their driving test if they pose a threat to the planet, under proposals being draw up by the European Commission.
Braking suddenly, revving the engine or wasting fuel by being too heavy on the accelerator pedal could prove costly.
This is because Brussels wants to include “eco-driving” – cutting carbon emissions at the wheel – in the practical driving test.
The plans, which could consign “boy racer” drivers to history, were unveiled earlier this week by Siim Kallas, the EU’s Transport Commissioner as part of a comprehensive road safety strategy for the next decade.
It would be achieved by widening the current EU Driving Licence Directive, which is binding on all member states.
In Britain “eco-driving” has been included in the written test since September 2008.
But making it part of the practical examination would mean that learner drivers would not only have to be safe drivers but also “clean” ones as well.
“This is absolutely ridiculous,” said Claire Armstrong of the motoring group, Safe Speed.
“How is driving in an environmentally unfriendly manner posing a danger to other road users.
“In any case people want to drive in an economical manner, because keeping a car on the road is so expensive.”
Andrew Howard, the AA’s head of road safety, also voiced some misgivings.
“My concern that somebody could be mark down twice for the same piece of bad driving such as accelerating too fast,” he said.
“I suppose there would be one benefit, the young say they are short of money and this would encourage them to save fuel.”
But Stephen Joseph, executive director (check) of the Campaign for Better Transport, welcomed the initiative.
“This is a practical and common sense measure. Training people drive in this way would save them money and the planet as well.”
Eco-driving is one of a number of initiatives aimed at improving the next generation of drivers.
The EU also wants to introduce a probation period for newly qualified drivers, who would be subject to stricter restrictions than other motorists.
The Government gave the proposals a cool response. “We will study with interest the EU road safety strategy and the specific proposals within it,” said Mike Penning, a transport minister.
“This strategy outlines plans for the next ten years and at present there is no specific legislative proposal in this area.
“Any new proposals that emerge – including the widening of the EU driving licence directive – will be subject to scrutiny by the UK and European parliaments and subject to negotiations between Member States.
“We will negotiate strongly to ensure any changes to current legislation are consistent with our domestic road safety policy and represent the best interests of UK citizens.”
From : Telegraph.co.uk
Bedfor driving school Txt-Drive teaches learners on how to drive in an eco-friendly way. Driving lessons in Bedford with a Txt-Drive driving instructor cost from just £12.00 (call FREEPHONE 0800 8600 983 or visit www.txt-drive.co.uk for more information). Txt-Drive uses FULLY QUALIFIED driving instructors & give driving lessons in Bedford in the new BMW Minis.
Posted in Bedford, Driving, Driving Instructors, Driving Lessons, Driving Tests, Eco-Safe Driving, Txt-Drive | No Comments »
July 25th, 2010 Administrator
On July 17th, the international community celebrated Europe’s biggest and most glamorous AIDS charity event in Vienna. In honor of the occasion, Diane von Fürstenberg, Calvin Klein and Kenneth Cole teamed up with BMW MINI to fight HIV / AIDS.
How cool do these BMW MINIs look? Would love to see a new version of the classic Paul Smith ‘multistripe’ MINI – but maybe with his ‘tangled multistripe’ on the BMW MINI. How about a RMC Martin Ksohoh (Red Monkey jeans) desgined BMW MINI?
To be honest none of these designer BMW MINIs compare to the Txt-Drive BMW MINI!!!
Txt-Drive driving school in Bedford use driving instructors from Bedford for their driving lessons in Bedford. The driving instructors are local to Bedford so can offer you lots of help & support when on driving lessons & prepare you for your driving test in Bedford. Unfortunately Bedford’s Txt-Drive driving school does not use the Calvin Klein designed BMW MINI – but you can book driving lessons in Bedford with our Txt-Drive BMW MINIs from just £12 per hour. Our driving lessons are very competitive & provide GREAT value for money!
If you would like to book a Bedford driving lesson with a Txt-Drive driving instructor, please call : 0800 8600 983 (FREEPHONE), text DRIVE to 80039 or visit www.txt-drive.co.uk for more information.
Posted in BMW Mini, Bedford, Driving, Driving Instructors, Driving Lessons, Driving Tests, Txt-Drive | No Comments »
July 19th, 2010 Administrator
MINI will make an entry-level model that’s smaller, cheaper and more efficient than any since BMW took over the brand.*
The new city car concept will be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2011. It will be based on the current MINI hatchback, but shortened and possibly with only two seats.
Little is known about the concept at present, though MINI sources have confirmed its existence. An intelligent three-seat layout like that of Gordon Murray’s T.25 city car could get the go-ahead.
It will have a front-engined, front-wheel drive (FF) layout, the same as the current MINI’s. The Smart Fortwo, which could be its main two-seat rival, uses a rear-engined arrangement.
The reason MINI will stick with a FF architecture is to keep costs down; cost is the main stumbling block when developing a city car. As one source told Autocar: “it’s one thing making a good looking small car but it’s another thing making money on it.”
Adhering to stringent EU crash protection regulations are a particularly significant factor in small car development costs as well.
Power will come from a small petrol engine, possibly three- or even two-cylinder, with exceptionally low fuel consumption.
It’s likely the new MINI city car will appear in showrooms by the start of 2012, with prices beginning below £10,000.
From : Yahoo!
Bedford driving instructors from the Bedford driving school Txt-Drive use the BMW Mini cars to give driving lessons. Each new BMW Mini is kitted out with alloy wheels, air conditioning, He-Man dual controls, parking markers, blind spot mirrors, fully adjustable seats & steering wheel. The BMW Minis also have the recognisable Txt-Drive graphics and roof top box.
Learn to drive in a BMW Mini in Bedford with fully qualified driving instructors. Call 0800 8600 983 (FREEPHONE) to book a driving lesson in Bedford. Our driving school prices are extrememly competitive & start at just £12.00 per hour. Low cost driving lessons with driving instructors in Bedford.
* and it will still probably be bigger than the Fiat 500!!! Haha! 
Posted in BMW Mini, Bedford, Driving, Driving Instructors, Driving Lessons, Special Offers, Txt-Drive | No Comments »
May 31st, 2010 Administrator
Bekki, a Sharnbrook Upper School student, passed her driving test FIRST TIME with Txt-Drive driving school in Bedford.
She passed in May 2010 & made just 5 minor faults during the driving test.
Bekki joined Txt-Drive for driving lessons after she left another driving school (which also uses BMW Minis). She had failed 2 driving tests with her old driving instructor from her old driving school & had lost all confidence. Her friend Dan (who had passed with Txt-Drive) recommended that she had driving lessons with Txt-Drive driving school.
Bekki contacted Txt-Drive & booked herself in for some driving lessons with driving instructor Chris Deverell. Just a few weeks later she had passed her driving test on her FIRST ATTEMPT with Txt-Drive & got just 5 minors (considerably better than her last 2 driving tests with her old driving school).
Bekki wrote to say : ”I would definitely recommend Txt-Drive driving school after coming from a different driving school (which also used BMW Minis). I can say that Txt-Drive is by far the best!! Thank you so much Chris : )”
To book driving lessons with Txt-Drive driving school in Bedford call 0800 8600 983 (FREEPHONE) or request a FREE call back from a FULLY QUALIFIED Txt-Drive driving instructor via www.txt-drive.co.uk
Posted in BMW Mini, Bedford, Driving, Driving Instructors, Driving Lessons, Driving Tests, Txt-Drive | No Comments »
