Should new drivers have power restrictions?

[waynne]

Should new drivers be limited to the power of their first car?

In a bike test you are limited to 125cc after you pass. Do you think a similar rule should apply to cars? Perhaps use the insurance groups and for the first 2 years drivers should stick with cars which are under a group 10 or something like that?

Do you think this will improve road safety?

[HDi fun]

Insurers already see to this with monster premiums for young drivers if they drive cars with any more than about 2.5bhp. It won't improve safety; it'll cost money to implement because the British Government will comission a study at a cost of about 80 million quid to conclude and tell us what we know already and then ignore its own advice.

[pgarner]

it depends on what bike test you sit. you are only limited to a 125 until you pass. with 1 i think still limits you to 125 but no L plates, the other is unlimited. this to me causes problems as well as someone who is 21 and can sit the big bike test can go from a 50cc engine to a 900cc.

the problem with letting insurance companies deal with it are

the ones who drive mummy and daddys car on their insurance just as a named driver
if insurance gets much higher for young drivers then they might just not bother with it. what is the current fine for driving w/o insurance last time i heard t was 3 points and £60 fine. well the 3 points aint going to bother you if you dont bother insurance and the £60, well its cheaper than the £2k they might have been paying.

what i think would be an idea was that your silly low insurance groups 1 and 2 should be made cheaper for young drivers say around £600 a year as long as they are not modified in ANY way. and price them out of the higher insurance cars.

this has shown up on many forums all over the place. i remember the msn one saying that there is no point in just sticking them to 1.0ltr things as they will just modify the engine to get more power without the insurance company knowing. at least there was someone with sense on there and pointed out that small engines are a waste of time youd have to spend all this money for 10 bhp increase it would be cheaper just to get the bigger car and insure it.

[HDi fun]

It's quite easy to drive a 1 litre car dangerously. You don't need 250bhp to do that

[waynne]

You've touched on my reservations on this. I agree that the prohibitive cost of insurance helps to do this already. It's just there are some out there with lots of money and very little sense. Having researched further most insurers actually refuse cover to <1year licence holders on high grouped cars nowadays.

[Prince]

I agree that new drivers should be restricted. This would make it safer for both them and us. It would also bring insurance costs down for the newbies.

The main problem is the rich folk that buy a Skyline as their first car and put us in danger.

[Izo Azlion]

Originally Posted by Prince

I agree that new drivers should be restricted. This would make it safer for both them and us. It would also bring insurance costs down for the newbies.

The main problem is the rish folk that buy a Skyline as their first car and put us in danger.

I'm not arsed about them putting me in danger, so much as skyrocketing my insurance premiums.

Not sure whether it should be restricted. I could be as much of a dick in the 70bhp Civic as I can in the 180bhp Golf, if I really wanted too.

*shrug* jUst my opininon

[Prince]

You're entitled to your opinion mate...I totally agree with what you said. But it's a fact that a new driver can not handle as much power as an experienced driver, that was part of my point....and yeah I want my insurance to lower as well! Don't we all?!

[old-git]

One way to get much cheaper insurance is to survive to my age!

Adrian Flux quoted me for my proposed 520bhp Elan. No NCB, Full Comp, £25,000 value - £583 - not bad. No one else would touch it. My Range Rover (L reg) costs £150 FC, same as the Robin Hood (both with AF as well). One of the very few advantages of getting older

My kids did the Pass Plus and got one year's NCD straight away. Worth thinking about. Essex County Council will even pay half of the fee!

[HDi fun]

I'm in that comfortable bracket ie. over 35 and below 65 where insurance is good value if you have a good record.